Examining final comment questions with requests for written and oral answers

Abstract

Self-administered web surveys provide respondents only limited opportunities for feedback. Therefore, many web surveys include so-called “final comment questions” (FCQs) that allow respondents to elaborate on the survey in general and the survey questions in particular. Typing in open answers in text boxes is burdensome – especially via smartphones with virtual on-screen keypads – so that respondents frequently provide short or no answers at all. In this study, we make use of new technological advancements in web survey methodology and investigate FCQs with requests for written and oral answers. For this purpose, we conducted an experiment in a smartphone survey ( N = 1,001) in a German online panel. The results reveal that FCQs with a request for written and oral answers do not differ with respect to item-nonresponse. However, oral answers are substantially longer than written answers pointing to more in-depth information. The oral answer condition also results in more positive comments than the written answer condition. This study is a methodological showcase for innovative web survey design that contributes to the improvement of data quality.