MESS Project An Advanced Multi-Disciplinary Facility for Measurement and Experimentation in the Social Sciences Marcel Das

 2005: Innovation platform Investment in Large-Scale Research Facilities  42 proposals, adding up to 1.5 billion Euros  MESS Project: one of five projects which received funding A brief history...

 Online panel of 5,000 households  8,000 individuals (>= 16 years)  Questionnaires each month, 30 min.  Incentive 15 euro an hour (average)  For scientific use, at no cost Core element MESS project: LISS panel

 Online interviews as method, but:  Probability sample drawn from address sampling frame of Statistics Netherlands  Includes households without Internet access (less than 15%): CentERdata provides equipment  Contacted by letter, telephone or visit LISS panel

Very small and silent Only the most frequently used functions Automatic maintenance, safety Simple operation and readable screens Installation and support simPC

Non-response patterns Similar to those of other leading scientific panels Superior to commercial access and volunteer panels: - no coverage problems - no selfselection

Attention for difficult groups  Correction by oversampling in refreshment of 2009 (with Statistics Netherlands)  New immigrant panel (with Cross-cultural Psychology, Tilburg University and Statistics Netherlands)

 Get questionnaires every month  Know: first Monday of the month  Get also invitation  Can complete questionnaire at any time during the month Respondents LISS panel:

Response rates: per day

Management of the LISS panel

Panel management system (1) Online system developed by CentERdata Easy overview of basic data (e.g. composition household) Overview of all communication –electronic version of the exact letters that were sent –sent and received messages –SMS messages –availability of panel members (holiday, business trips, hospital stays, etc.)

Panel management system (2) Issue tracking system (problems) Wizards to guide panel management to update information about the household Tracking of devices (SimPC) Statistics module (response, etc.)

Panel management system (3) Automated selection processes –via templates (standard selections) –scheduling to open questionnaires, to send invitations via or SMS –possibility for entering manual selections Overview and management of incentive payments

Use of the LISS panel

Experimental modules  Who can use the LISS panel: every researcher who wants to collect data for scientific, policy or societal relevant research Scientific research: Academic researchers, irrespective of nationality, can use the LISS panel at no cost  Proposals can be submitted throughout the year

Use of a subsample  Effects of illness babies in first year on labour participation parents:  Pregnant women, follow 3 years!  Effects of the economic crisis on household portfolio choice:  Panel members who own stocks  Random subsample or experimental groups: different conditions

Biomarker data collection:  Blood cholesterol levels  Diurnal salivary cortisol  Waist circumference  Internet weighting scale Video instruction, specially developed for all three tests Future: Accelerometers, blood pressure meters

Available data  Who can use the LISS data: every researcher who wants to use data for scientific, policy or societal relevant research  Use of data is free of charge (unless data are used for research funded by means of external sources)  Available data:  longitudinal core study  proposed studies

Longitudinal core study  Household and family  Economic situation and housing  Work and schooling  Social integration and leisure  Health  Personality  Religion and ethnicity  Politics and values

LISS data: archive and DDI  Disseminated through website / data archive:  Database is based on DDI 3: one of the first implementations of version 3 (DDI = Data Documentation Initiative, International XML-based standard for data documentation)  LISS data: complex and extensive  October 2011: more than 440 registered users

Extensive data  Example: “Do you know which panel members are vegetarian?”  Asked somewhere, but in which study?  Example: “Did you ever measure political efficacy?”  Asked sometime, but when exactly?  Example: “Can I estimate the housing expenditure of impulsive persons?”  Which items measured impulsiveness?

DDI 3 & LISS website:  Search entry from Concept, Variable, Question, Topic, and Study  Can handle longitudinal data (waves)  Exchangeable with data archives  Flexibility for future applications (Example: iPod version)

Current projects  Special groups: e.g. immigrants (new panel)  Biomarkers: test new instruments for measurement  Links with administrative data (Statistics Netherlands): substantial expansion of research opportunities  Time use project: smartphones  International collaboration

 Recruitment procedure + Pilot experiment  Representativity  Panel maintenance:  Communication and feedback  Sleeper study  Non-Internet households  Questasy  Biomarkers  Immigrant panel Extra information on: