Developing Mixed Mode Methods in Comparative Social Surveys

Professor R. Jowell (City University)

Europe is increasingly dependent on rigorously collected social and economic data, often based on multinational social surveys. The aim of this project is to help advance the development of mixed mode methods of data collection for such surveys. An obstacle to rigour and comparability in Europe-wide surveys is the continued (and growing) gap between differing national preferences in modes of data collection. Many cross-national projects have adopted the line of least resistance by overlooking such differences in methods, despite convincing evidence from multiple sources that different modes of data collection generate different responses to certain types of survey questions.

The aim of this short-term project is to attempt to synthesise existing knowledge and consolidate expertise in this field by bringing together relevant members of the UK social science community alongside selected specialists from the USA and mainland Europe, to assess the state of the art and to set an agenda for progress. In doing so, helping to expand UK-based capacity in the field within a range of disciplinary backgrounds.

The project will focus on four different elements:

A commissioned review of the literature and evidence on mode effects and on how those effects have been, and might be, mitigated
A commissioned mapping exercise to describe currently preferred methods and modes of data collection for different surveys within at least the 23 ESS participating countries and to investigate evidence of how alternative modes might (or do) work in those countries
A one-day conference in London involving 50 people from academia, government, independent research institutes (IRIs), and the commercial survey world, with specialist papers from British, mainland European and US scholars.
A one-day expert workshop the following day in which a selected subgroup of 14 participants will discuss in detail the issues raised at the conference and their implications, drawing conclusions on what is known about multiple mode surveys for comparative surveys and what further work needs to be undertaken to remedy the gaps in knowledge. Download Final report on workshop (opens .pdf)

As for the four elements of the project outlined above, the two commissioned reviews which come at the start of the project are designed to synthesise existing research knowledge on mode effects and how to mitigate them, and to investigate the practical constraints facing different modes in different European countries. These reviews will help to inform the second stage of the project, which aims to examine and influence the future of mixed mode designs in comparative survey research.