Anna Lethborg
Anna is a Research Director with the Social Research Centre and has over 20 years’ experience, predominantly as a quantitative researcher in the social research industry. Anna was part of the team responsible for the development of Australia’s first probability-based panel, Life in Australia™. She managed the panel during its establishment and has since overseen the transition of a number of projects from traditional methods to the panel. Anna was the project director for the Australian Comparative Study of Survey Methods (ACSSM).
Session
The Australian Comparative Study of Survey Methods (ACSSM) systematically compared the accuracy of estimates achieved through traditional, contemporary and evolving survey methods. These included random digit dialling (RDD) computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI), the nation’s first and only probability-based online panel (Life in Australia™), a video-assisted live interviewing arm recruited from Life in Australia™, RDD SMS push-to-web, and four non-probability online panels. The study was fielded in December 2022.
We compare the performance of Life in Australia™ to the other survey methods included in the study with respect to an extensive list of high-quality external benchmarks. The broad range of modes trialled help to situate online panel performance with respect to both self- and interviewer-administered modes and probability and non-probability frames. This study contributes to the multinational evidence base on the performance of online probability-based panels in comparison to non-probability methods.
This presentation provides an overview of the methodology employed for the comparative study, key findings and implications for general population survey research. We also share additional analysis and innovations inspired by the ACSSM.