Is there a growing use of mobile devices in web surveys? Evidence from 128 web surveys in Germany

Recent advances in web survey methodology were motivated by the observation that respondents increasingly use mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to participate in web surveys. Even though we do not doubt this general observation, we argue that the claim is lacking a solid empirical basis. Most research on increasing mobile device use in web surveys covers limited periods of time and/or analyzes data from only one study or panel. There is a surprising lack of comprehensive overviews on the magnitude of mobile device use in web surveys. In the present study, we explored this research gap by analyzing data from 128 web surveys collected in four different academic studies in Germany between 2012 and 2020. Overall, we found strong empirical evidence for an increase in smartphone use, a stagnation in tablet use, and a decrease in desktop PC use. There was no evidence that the increase in smartphone use will slow down any time soon. Thus, we recommend that survey researchers prepare for a device change in web surveys that may enable new applications in web surveys

The role of the information environment during the first COVID-19 wave in Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by intense debates about the role of the information environment. On the one hand, citizens learn from public information campaigns and news coverage and supposedly adjust their behaviours accordingly; on the other, there are fears of widespread misinformation and its detrimental effects. Analyzing the posts of the most important German information providers published via Facebook, this paper first identifies a uniform salience of subtopics related to COVID-19 across different types of information sources that generally emphasized the threats to public health. Next, using a large survey conducted with German residents during the first COVID-19 wave in March 2020 we investigate how information exposure relates to perceptions, attitudes and behaviours concerning the pandemic. Regression analyses show that getting COVID-19-related information from a multitude of sources has a statistically significant and positive relationship with public health outcomes. These findings are consistent even across the ideological left/right spectrum and party preferences. These consistent correlational results demonstrate that during the first wave of COVID-19, a uniform information environment went hand in hand with a cautious public and widely accepted mitigation measures. Nonetheless, we discuss these findings against the backdrop of an increased politicization of public-health measures during later COVID-19 waves