Investigation of alternative interface designs for long-list questions–the case of a computer-assisted survey in Germany

Abstract

This study aims to address the questionnaire design challenges in cases wherein questions involve a large number of response options. Traditionally, these long-list questions are asked in open-ended or closed-ended formats. However, alternative interface design options are emerging in computer-assisted surveys that combine both interface designs. To investigate trade-offs of these alternative designs, a split-ballot experiment was conducted with a) a long list of radio buttons, b) a search tree (nested list of response options), and c) a combo box (combination of a text box and a drop-down box). Based on the question on the highest educational qualification attained from the Innovation Sample of the German Socio-Economic Panel, we investigated the interface design that facilitates respondents optimally and enhances the measurement quality. The findings indicate that combo boxes reduce the response burden and increase measurement details, whereas search trees and long lists reduce post-coding efforts.