01091606

Component

Although internet surveys using online panels are common, a literature review found no studies comparing their sample representativeness and data quality with telephone surveys involving a general population. This oversight motivated research conducted as part of the Chicago Transit Authority’s 2006 Customer Satisfaction Survey. In addition to its telephone-administered survey, the CTA commissioned equivalent internet surveys from four providers of online panels. Survey responses were compared in terms of the final demographics, transit usage, transit satisfaction and access to technology. The internet survey respondents were younger, contained more students but included fewer Hispanics and reported several transit usage differences. Also, the online panels expressed less overall satisfaction with their transit service and less likelihood of continued ridership and recommending the CTA to others. Regarding access, online panel respondents reported having the same number of landline telephones but were more likely to have a computer and high speed access at home. Given these results, transit agencies should consider the likely tradeoff between the lower cost and quicker completion times of internet surveys using online panels with their potential over-representation of certain population segments (e.g., students and non-Hispanics) and introducing a bias in reported behavior and satisfaction responses. While they may be effective in reaching population segments that can be under-represented in telephone surveys (e.g., students and younger people), limitations in reaching those without internet access and inexplicably low satisfaction measures suggest caution in relying solely on internet surveys of the general population that have policy implications.

01084478

08-2573

English

17p

2008

Transportation Research Board 87th Annual Meeting

DVD

References (19) ; Tables (4)

Behavior; Consumer behavior; Customer satisfaction; Customer service; Public transit; Research; Surveys; Transit operating agencies; Websites (Information retrieval)

Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Research

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2008 Paper #08-2573

TRIS, TRB

Jan 29 2008 4:59PM