Design Considerations for Live Video Survey Interviews

Abstract

This paper summarizes a set of design considerations that survey researchers exploring the potential for live video to substitute for in-person interviewing will need to address. While the solutions appropriate for a particular study are likely to vary, researchers will need to consider (at least) which sample members have access to video and will be willing and able to participate, which video platform(s) to use, whether interviews need to be scheduled in advance or are conducted on demand, how interviewers’ screens should be configured, the interviewer’s visual background and auditory environment, and how interviewers should be trained to administer video interviews, avoid bias, and be prepared to handle technological problems as they arise.