Web-Based Survey Techniques (2006) / Chapter Skim
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From page 7... ...
The topics covered in this chapter include: • Current use of web-based surveys in the transit industry; • Frequency, types, and areas of usage of transit surveys currently being conducted (web-based and not webbased) ; • Areas where web-based survey techniques are most effective for the five types of surveys explored in this synthesis (origin–destination, customer satisfaction, mode choice, planning, and other)
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. FREQUENCY, TYPES, AND AREAS OF USAGE OF TRANSIT SURVEYS CURRENTLY BEING CONDUCTED When asked about the types of surveys their organizations conduct and how often, respondents indicated that they do 8 survey research in the following proportions, with some surveys conducted more than once each year: 25% customer satisfaction, 25% planning, 19% origin–destination, 13% mode choice, and 17% "other." "Other" types of surveys noted were household travel surveys, transit onboard surveys, interactive map studies, policy and issue analyses, marketing, market share, station evaluation, new offers and programs related to fares or fare cards, safety and security issues, product tests, new technology, copy testing, and employers/employees.
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"Other" weighting schemes mentioned included, "at the Day-Time-Route 0 20 40 60 80 100 Define traveler markets by geography Determine distribution of station/stops used Determine trip frequency Generate demographic profile of travelers Determine trip purpose Determine distribution time-of-day facilities/system used Update origin-destination trip tables Percent Origin-destination Customer satisfaction Mode choice 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Origin-Destination Customer Satisfaction Mode Choice Planning Other In person, at stations, on board vehicles, at roadways/toll plazas Telephone E-mail and/or web link Mail FIGURE 1 How research from origin–destination, customer satisfaction, and mode choice surveys are used (multiple responses allowed for this question; therefore, percentages for each purpose may be greater than 100%)
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. Overall, 15% of results are presented to the general public, with customer satisfaction 0% 20% 40% 60% Origin-Destination Customer Satisfaction Mode Choice Planning Other Total population Random Systematic Convenience Other 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% Origin-Destination Customer Satisfaction Mode Choice Planning Other Ridership/traffic Demographics Other factors Did not weight FIGURE 3 Sampling methods.
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and the need to replenish the panel to ensure that new riders are continually added to the panel data set. Very Successful Successful Neither Unsuccessful Survey Type Count Percent Count Percent Count Percent Count Percent Origin–destination 4 25 11 69 1 6 Customer satisfaction 8 47 7 41 2 12 Mode choice 10 48 9 43 2 10 Planning 11 46 11 46 2 8 Other 7 41 9 53 1 6 0 20 40 60 80 100 Other Customers Constituents External clients General public Internal clients/management Percent Origin-destination Customer satisfaction Mode choice Planning Other TABLE 3 SUCCESS RATING BY SURVEY TYPE FIGURE 5 Where research results are presented.
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AREAS WHERE WEB-BASED SURVEY TECHNIQUES ARE MOST EFFECTIVE Web-Based Technology's Effect on Survey Design Reasons cited for using web-based surveys in the synthesis survey were "the ability to present complicated subject 12 matter, question design, and graphics." The experience of the synthesis team shows that web-based surveys can be useful in different ways depending on the type of study they will support: origin–destination, customer satisfaction, mode choice, planning, or other. These various types of surveys will be discussed in the following subsections and specific examples will be cited from project experience to underscore the ways in which using web-based technology can benefit survey design.
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As will be discussed in chapter four, offering the survey by means of the Internet can increase response rates over the survey offered only to those respondents who can be recruited in person. One respondent stated that a web-based survey can be "an easy tool for the end user and our staff to gather data on work trips for employees at large employers in the county." Planning and Other Surveys Respondents indicated that for planning surveys, webbased surveys are beneficial "as a way to gather public input on our planning studies, in addition to holding public meetings which are usually poorly attended." The ability to quickly and easily reach out to the public, provided agencies have a satisfactory list of e-mails and/or a wellpublicized website, is another benefit to using web-based surveys.
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With web-based technology, respondents can be prompted to include all trips by simplifying data entry. Depending on what the respondent describes for activities and/or purposes, they can be shown FIGURE 7 Screen shot requesting commuter rail line from NJ TRANSIT's Rail ePanel survey.
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. The respondent can be prompted to enter all trips for the survey day, and can be shown various trip purposes for each trip in drop-down boxes.
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Again, this technology ensures complete and validated data. As with many transit and transportation surveys, household travel diaries require the geocoding of trip start and end locations and web-based technology can provide major benefits in this aspect of the survey: • As mentioned previously, online surveys can offer a respondent several ways to input an address: by entering the specific address, by entering a nearby intersection, or by offering an interactive map to search.
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55% 22% 33% 45% 18% 27% 0 20 40 60 80 100 Hosted in house on organization's computers Hosted by a survey provider Hosted by consulting or web development firm Designed in house using web page layout software Designed with online survey development tool Contracted out to consulting or web development firm Percent FIGURE 13 Survey design methods.
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Researchers also pointed out that they are not using webbased surveys across the board, but are using such surveys for smaller, more focused studies. "The online web survey was a different type of planning survey.
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19 worried about their inability to guarantee "one survey complete per person." One researcher noted that their "organization feels that web-based response will bias the results because of differences in demographic characteristics of those with and without Internet access." The next most important concern, given by one-quarter of respondents, was the lack of in-house expertise in web-based survey technology or inadequate funds to enable them to develop their capabilities in the area. Several researchers expressed the reality that their organizations "are slow to change" as far as their current ways of conducting research.
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