The share of people who access the internet by mobile phone increases rapidly and therefore there is also more demand for completing questionnaires on a smartphone. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of collecting time use data via smartphones. Time Use Research (TUR) is usually carried out using (mainly paper) questionnaires and diaries. For this study a time use app developed by CentERdata was used allowing participants to enter their activities on a smartphone throughout the day. The study is a joint project with The Netherlands Institute for Social Research and was conducted in the LISS panel, an online panel based on a true probability sample of households. After a successful pilot in 2011/2012, about 2,200 LISS panel members were selected on the basis of their willingness to participate in research involving smartphones. The fieldwork was carried out from September 2012 until September 2013. Participants without a smartphone were lent a smartphone with the time use app already installed on it. Participants owning a smartphone could download the app from the respective application stores. This study focuses on two elements: 1) general feasibility of collecting data by means of smartphones, where the whole (logistical) process of this study will be presented (e.g. How to make sure that respondents participate? Does reminding respondents to participate during the fieldwork have an effect on response rates? How feasible is this type of research from a panel management point of view?) and 2) the response behavior between smartphone owners and respondents that were lent a smartphone to participate (e.g. Is there a difference in response behavior? What are the characteristics of nonresponders?).

1. 24 July 2014
Collecting time use data via
smartphones
Feasibility and response
Josette Janssen, Sander Janssens &
Salima Douhou
July 24, 2014
VI European Congress of Methodology
Utrecht University
The Netherlands

2. LISS panel
5000 households, 8000 persons
Online interviews
Probability sample drawn from address
sampling frame of Statistics Netherlands
Contacted by CATI/CAPI interview and
includes households without internet
access who are provided a simPC and/or
broadband connection
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Time Use Research
Conducted for: The Netherlands Institute
for Social Research (SCP), The Hague
Period:
September 2012 (small pilot)
– September 2013
Panel members with own
android phone or iPhone, or
else loan smartphone

4. Fieldwork
Pre-pilot with panel members of TNS Nipo
to look into feasibility
Pilot (September 2012) with 45 panel
members of the LISS panel to check
work flow
Actual fieldwork (October 2012 –
September 2013) = 12 months
176 panel members per month of which on
average 90 with a loan smartphone; 40
iPhone and 45 Android smartphones7/28/2014
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5. Fieldwork (2)
Participating panel members got:
- A smartphone (if no own)
- Letter with explanation, the selected
two days, how to log in, where to find
the app etc.
- Manual on how to use the app
- Return envelope (freepost) for returning
smartphone (if loaned)
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6. Fieldwork (3)
• Starting questionnaire (to be completed before first
diary day started) and evaluation questionnaire
(after last diary day) on their LISS panel member
page
• 2 diary days on the app: one weekday; one
weekend day (in the same week)
• Diary day from 04.00 a.m. to 04.00 a.m. the next
day
• Time slots of 10 minutes to register activities
• Beeping moments randomly during the day with a
few and short questions on their current mood or
about media activities they have performed recently
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7. Fieldwork (4)
A week after sending smartphone/manual
calls to the panel members to ask
whether smartphone was received/ app
was downloaded (from AppStore or
Playstore). Urged them to log in a.s.a.p.
to make sure it all worked
3-5 contact attempts. If no phone number
contact by email or through household
member
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8. Monthly work flow
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9. Fieldwork (5)
If a panel member did not participate on
the first weekday, another call was made
to this person to ask them to do so on
the same day a week later
- This, however, did not work for a
combination of Friday and a weekend
day: whether or not Friday was
completed became only visible on
Sunday -> too late to make a call
+ All other weekdays calls: extra reminder
to participate on the weekend day7/28/2014
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10. Participation rate diary days
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Both days
One day
No days

11. Completion of diary days per type
smartphone
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12. Reminder call for 1st day missed
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Reminder call for 1st day missed
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22%
iPhone
own
42%
Android
own
36%
Smartphone
loan

13. Effect of reminder on ‘extra’ day
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Average response on extra day: 20%!

14. Fieldwork (6)
A week after completion of the 2 diary
days (including extra diary day, if need
be) another call was made to ask panel
members to return the loaned
smartphone
Most smartphones came back
sponteaneously within a week after end
of fieldwork
Other panel members needed a bit more
persuasion than just the one call…7/28/2014
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15. Significant effects found for:
Less likely to complete the time use diary
are participants with:
– an own android smartphone compared to
participants with a loan smartphone
– a simPC (loaned from us)
– a non-autochthonous background
More likely to complete the time use diary
are:
– working participants
– participants living in a more urban area
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16. Response evaluation questionnaire
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17. Little facts…
numbers based on period January – September 2013
6382 contacts between panel management
and the participants
1584 participants of which 800 with a loan
smartphone
8% of the panelists have an unknown
phone number. 2% of the households
have an unknown phone number
4% of the addresses were not correct
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18. Little facts… (2)
numbers based on period January – September 2013
1% (8 out of 800) smartphones got lost
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19. Little facts… (3)
numbers based on period January – September 2013
205 hours preparing smartphones
(cleaning, installing app etc.)
127 hours calling to inquire about receiving
smartphones, returning smartphones
and for the extra participation day if not
participated on the first diary day
165 hours on other panel management
tasks (manuals, letters, meetings etc.)
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