Mode effects for collecting alcohol and other drug use data: Web and U.S. Mail *.: An article from: Journal of Studies on Alcohol

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Studies on Alcohol, published by Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc. on November 1, 2002. The length of the article is 6217 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: Objective: The present study examined mode effects for collecting alcohol and other drug use data using a Web-based survey mode and a U.S. mail-based survey mode for comparison. Method: A survey regarding alcohol and other drugs was administered to a randomly selected sample of 7,000 undergraduate students attending a large midwestern research university in the spring of 2001. The sample was randomly assigned to either a Web-based survey mode (n = 3,500) or a U.S. mail-based mode (n = 3,500). Results: The Web survey mode of administration resulted in a final sample that more closely matched the target sample in gender mix than did the U.S. mail survey mode. The response rate for the Web survey mode was significantly higher than for the U.S. mail survey mode. Chi-square results indicated there were significant differences in response propensity by several sample characteristics including sex, race, class year and academic credit hours. Multivariate logistic regression results revealed significant racial and gender differences in the response propensity between and within modes. After controlling for design discrepancies, there were no significant differences between modes in data quality or substantive responses to substance-use variables. Conclusions: The findings of the present study provide strong evidence that Web surveys can be used as an effective mode for collecting alcohol and other drug use data among certain populations who have access to the Internet and high rates of use. Web surveys provide promise for enhancing survey research methodology among undergraduate college students. (J Stud. Alcohol 63: 755-761, 2002)

Citation Details
Title: Mode effects for collecting alcohol and other drug use data: Web and U.S. Mail *.
Author: Sean Esteban McCabe
Publication: Journal of Studies on Alcohol (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 2002
Publisher: Alcohol Research Documentation, Inc.
Volume: 63 Issue: 6 Page: 755(7)

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