Line of business

Online research

In line with international tendencies, in recent years Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) has become increasingly popular in Hungary. This is manifested in the growing proportion of online data surveys. As with all new and promising ideas, web interviewing is characterised by high expectations in the market, therefore, it is important to have a clear picture of how and where this method can be used.
 
The advantages of online research

What is the reason for the growing popularity of online surveys in the research market of many developed countries?

  • Easier access – It is easier to reach target groups that were previously difficult to access.
  • Less errors – There are no errors from interviewing or data input, providing results that are more reliable.
  • More diversified topics – The questionnaires are self-completed, so topics that are more sensitive can also be included.
  • Fast – Since the questionnaire can be accessed at any time and can be completed by several hundred people simultaneously, first results are available within hours. Data input for small sample surveys can be completed within a few days.
  • Cost efficiency – Compared with other methods, several types of costs can be saved through web interviewing (such as printing, interviewers, travelling, data recording), leaving more funds for intensifying the analysis.
  • Direct answers – Due to the self-completed questionnaires, respondents can provide answers that are more precise and respond to open questions with more details. There is no influence by interviewer mediation and interpretation.
  • More interesting and elaborate questionnaires – Due to the online interface, multimedia and interactive elements can also be included. This also makes the experience more enjoyable for the respondents and keeps their attention for longer.
  • More complex structure of questionnaires – Due to automated questionnaires, more complex jumps and logical conditions can be managed without errors.

The potentials and risks of web interviewing

39% use the internet in Hungary among the 16-59 age brackets, which limits the possibility of applying only online research for questions targeting the entire population. For special, narrower target groups, this ratio can be 50% or more – e.g. 70% among car owners aged 18-45, which is a good potential basis for CAWI. The growing number of Hungarian internet users enables us to benefit from the advantages of web interviewing without any reservations. If the ratio of internet users among the target group is higher than 50% and the variable to be measured is not influenced by the respondent’s internet use, online surveys become a real option.

It should be noted, however, that CAWI is not a solution for all research problems. To be used reliably, it must be compared with other research and data collection methods.

Aspects of using CAWI:

 

Recommended

Recommended upon further consideration

Age of target group

under 40

over 40

Income status of target group

A and B

C, D or E

Research topic
  • For testing adverts, concepts, products, packaging and names
  • For measuring consumer or employee satisfaction
  • For surveying media use
  • For public opinion polls   
  • For recruiting subjects in qualitative research
  • For topics requiring qualitative methods
  • For topics where the variable of the survey may depend on internet use

 


How can Szonda help?

In order to support web interviewing, Ipsos Insitute provides its clients with large online panels, which have been composed in a controlled way and the members of which have been specifically recruited for research purposes:

Household panel

The panels include individual users and are used for household research.

Over 10,000 panelists, representing the entire population by gender, age and regions.

The full database is screened by almost 30 demographic and sociographic criteria in order to define target groups.

Corporate panel

Online panels of companies for corporate research, facilitating unique data and research solutions for the web-survey of the Hungarian corporate sector.

The goal of the panel is to represent companies, operating in Hungary, by size, region and sector, as well as enabling the individual analyses or research of specific corporate segments.

Around nine tenth of companies in our database represent top or second level decision-makers from corporate and institutional hierarchies.

Panels are constructed using online and offline sources and guarantee a better representation of the internet society, compared with panels built exclusively from online sources. Offline – paper-based, face-to-face and telephone – researches can reach certain user groups that would be very difficult or impossible to access with the online method only. Answers from such panel members increase the validity of the research results.

Panels are managed by specifically developed software, which maintains representation by the predetermined demographic variables throughout the research. The online questionnaire editing software used for the web display of questions enables us to include new types of questionnaires that previously could not be used. The combination of the technical background, the basic principles of panel use and our research expertise offers comprehensive and high-standard online research projects for our clients.

In cases where web interviewing must be complemented by other methods and data recording from various channels needs to be coordinated, we can rely on our experiences gained from the use of other methods.

Client panels

As a special service, we offer the possibility for returning clients to build special, even exclusive web interviewing panels that uniquely represent their own target groups. A well-constructed and properly maintained panel, created for tailor-made research purposes can effectively support our clients’ purposes for market research, content development, marketing and advertising.

Although at a first glance it does not seem difficult to build individual panels, this task entails many pitfalls. After careful recruiting, it is just as important to keep panel members, maintain their activity and interest, which requires a lot of work and expertise. Specifically developed software is not only required for managing panels, but also for screening samples, editing questionnaires and checking their completion.

For further information see our leaflet: ESOMAR 26 Questions to Help Research Buyers of Online Samples – Responses of Ipsos Hungary.

Contact: info.online@ipsos.com