Urban Green Areas – their functions under a changing lifestyle of ...

esearch fields in developed countries. In developing countries, with the dramatic expansion
of the internet, online surveys are also becoming a very important instrument. Especially in
developing countries, “apperception surveys often use computer-assisted questionnaires and
the Internet. Regardless, researchers should not the limitations of the chosen method and
attempt to minimize their effects” (CLIFFORD/VALE TI E 2003:95).
“Although many questions remain, Internet surveys represent a significant innovation
whose use is expanding rapidly will continue to expand in the year to come”
(CLIFFORD/VALENTINE 2003: 94).
Below is an overview indicating strengths and weaknesses of this method (based on
EVANS/MATHUR 2005; COBANOGLU et al. 2000: 410 ff.; SHEEHAN/HOY 2004).
The advantages are:
low cost because online survey can be created without fees and maintaining costs;
no need to transfer results into a data base because the responses are already in excel
files;
no problem with difficult handwriting and mistyping is usually easily recognised;
speed and response rates; very often, in the beginning, the speed and rates of responses
were surprisingly high depending on topics and public interest, advertisement and
management the surveys;
structuring questions helps respondents easily to follow by automatically linking them
with the next options based on the answer;
eliminates interviewer bias or influence on responders;
responders can take as much time as they need to answer the questions;
statistical compilation is often in real time - survey results can be monitored throughout
the time the survey is online;
most types of studies can easily be conducted online;
privacy protection - respondents remain anonymous; privacy and confidentiality are
protected.
However certain disadvantages are difficult to mitigate:
Because that web-based is worldwide, it is difficult to limit spatially.
Bias might happen by multi-responses by only one respondent.
Online survey is often perceived as junk mail.
Targeted responder cohort may lack internet access or skills.
This is the method of choice to reach those people who might do not go to parks, and hence
are missed in on-site face-to-face interviews.
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