Using pencil and paper, Internet and touch-tone phones for self-administered surveys: does methodology matter?

To compare responses to personally sensitive questions, 352 undergraduates were randomly assigned to respond anonymously to a survey using one of three survey methods: pencil and paper mail-in, Internet survey, or an automated touch-tone telephone response system. The survey contained 68 brief Yes/No questions ranging from low to high sensitivity in 13 domains, such as general honesty, academic honesty, prejudice, illegal behavior, alcohol use, substance use, violence, and sexual behavior. We found no significant differences (p > 0.05) in participants' responses among these three media for-any of-the questions. This suggests that for some populations, under some circumstances, Internet and touch-tone telephone systems achieve the same results as traditional pencil and paper surveys. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.