Representativeness and Mode Effects in the Swiss Election Study (Selects): Are Paper Surveys Still Relevant?

Article Article scientifique Article Representativeness and Mode Effects in the Swiss Election Study (Selects): Are Paper Surveys Still Relevant? eng 2026-02-28 author Refle Jan-Erik 0000-0003-3732-4108 LIVES, Université de Lausanne 921604 Institut de recherches sociologiques (SdS) (IRSOC) author Lauener Lukas 0000-0002-4746-0800 FORS & Université de Lausanne author Lindholm Annika 0000-0002-1559-0782 FORS & Université de Lausanne 703760 spsr.70026 10.1111/spsr.70026 1424-7755 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spsr.70026 <p>Web‐based surveys have gained popularity due to their cost‐effectiveness and changing participation habits, a trend accelerated by the COVID‐19 pandemic. This raises questions about the continued value of paper‐based surveys in mixed‐mode studies like the Swiss Election Study (Selects), which uses a push‐to‐web design, offering a paper questionnaire only after several reminders. It is conventionally thought that those opting for paper surveys are older and politically less engaged.</p> <p>Using data from the 2019 and 2023 Selects post‐election surveys, we examine mode selection by sociodemographic and political profile, comparing web and paper samples. Our findings suggest that age‐related biases have decreased in 2023, but that citizens living in a one‐person‐household and those with less political knowledge are more likely to choose the paper questionnaire than their counterparts. Thus, the added value of paper surveys in correcting selection biases remains, but especially age‐related effects are likely to become less relevant over the next years.</p> Dewey 320 Dewey 301 Dewey 618.97 14 Centre interfacultaire de gérontologie et d'études des vulnérabilités 0D6 197 Institut de recherches sociologiques TG 189 Institut d'études de la citoyenneté T9 false 1282 Centre LIVES Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft d095c7fa-a3a3-4ddd-a76f-2d602d3c8c1f Article (Published version) Public Swiss_Political_Sci_Review_-_2026_-.pdf 300152 application/pdf CC BY-4.0 ca123094ae4879f3b27767d512ed08774b7b658445a8a7159f3589ae8d5643a1 openAccess Centres et instituts / Centre interfacultaire de gérontologie et d'études des vulnérabilités Faculté des sciences de la société / Institut de recherches sociologiques Faculté des sciences de la société / Institut d'études de la citoyenneté

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Representativeness and Mode Effects in the Swiss Election Study (Selects): Are Paper Surveys Still Relevant?	Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft			2026	10	159

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Lindholm, Annika