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The effects of survey mode and sampling in Belgian election studies: a comparison of a national probability face-to-face survey and a nonprobability Internet survey

Journal Contribution - Journal Article

National probability election surveys are more and more abandoned. Decreasing response rates and the escalating costs of face-to-face and telephone interviews have strengthened election scholars’ reliance on nonprobability internet samples to conduct election surveys online. In a number of countries, experiments with alternative ways of recruiting respondents and different interview modes have been well documented. For other countries, however, substantially less is known about the consequences of relying on nonprobability internet panels. In this paper, we investigate the effects of survey mode and sampling method in the Belgian context. This is a particularly important and relevant case study because election researchers in Belgium can draw a sample of voters directly from the National Register. In line with previous studies, we find important differences in the marginal distributions of variables measured in the two surveys. When considering vote choice models and the inferences that scholars would draw, in contrast, we find minor differences.
Journal: Acta Politica
ISSN: 0001-6810
Issue: 2
Volume: 55
Pages: 175-198
Publication year:2020
Keywords:surveys, Elections
CSS-citation score:2
Accessibility:Closed