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MESS Project
An Advanced Multi-Disciplinary Facility for Measurement and Experimentation
in the Social Sciences
Marcel Das
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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...
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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
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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
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Very small and silent
Only the most frequently used functions
Automatic maintenance, safety
Simple operation and readable screens
Installation and support
simPC
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Non-response patternsSimilar to those of other leading
scientific panels
Superior to commercial access and volunteer panels:
- no coverage problems
- no selfselection
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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 email invitation
Can complete questionnaire at any
time during the month
Respondents LISS panel:
Response rates: per day
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Management of the LISS panel
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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 e-mail messages– SMS messages– availability of panel members (holiday,
business trips, hospital stays, etc.)
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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.)
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Panel management system (3)
• Automated selection processes– via templates (standard selections)– scheduling to open questionnaires, to
send invitations via e-mail or SMS– possibility for entering manual selections
• Overview and management of incentive payments
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Use of the LISS panel
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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
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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
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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: http://www.lissdata.nl
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
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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?
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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)
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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
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Recruitment procedure + Pilot experiment
Representativity
Panel maintenance:
Communication and feedback
Sleeper study
Non-Internet households
Questasy
Biomarkers
Immigrant panel
Extra information on:
www.lissdata.nl