Call for Papers

6th MASS Workshop

Mobile Apps and Sensors in Surveys

Date

4-5 June 2025

Location

London School of Economics (LSE), London, UK

Organizing committee

Local organizers: Patrick Sturgis (London School of Economics), Oriol Bosch (Oxford University)

Scientific committee: Bella Struminskaya (Utrecht University), Peter Lugtig (Utrecht University), Florian Keusch (University of Mannheim), and Jan Karem Höhne (DZHW, Leibniz University Hannover)

Context of the workshop

Mobile devices allow researchers to collect data through built-in sensors, such as GPS, accelerometers, and other sensors, passively collect data in-browser, and use apps in addition to self-reports. Passive mobile data collection can potentially decrease measurement errors and reduce respondent burden. Active data collection using apps, camera, microphone, and other sensors allows researchers to broaden the research questions they want to study. Incorporating new measurements to augment or replace survey questions through sensors and apps brings challenges for representativeness, survey design and implementation, and measurement. This also includes ethical and legal considerations that are yet to be understood.

The goal of this workshop is to bring together around 40 researchers from different disciplines to discuss the current state of their work on the use of mobile apps and sensors in survey data collection. The workshop is only open to participants whose abstracts will be accepted for a paper presentation. Upon acceptance participants are expected to submit a handout (max. of 5 pages).

The workshop is free of charge for participants, but participants are expected to cover their own travel and lodging costs.

The program, selected presentations and keynotes from five earlier MASS workshops can be found at https://massworkshop.org.

Scope of the workshop

For the sixth MASS workshop, we invite contributions that focus, among others, on the following methodological issues when using mobile apps, sensors, and wearables in surveys:

Technical aspects of mobile apps and sensors

Different ways to collect sensor data
Building apps for Android and iOS
Data processing and storage

Study and app design

Look and feel of apps
Usability studies
Use of incentives
Giving feedback to respondents

Implementation

Willingness to participate and informed consent
Methods to invite and communicate with study participants
Study length and study intensity
Legal considerations
Ethical and privacy considerations

Quality of sensor data

Errors of non-representation (e.g., self-selection, coverage, and nonparticipation)
Measurement error (e.g., prevention, modeling, and correction)

Data analysis

Analyzing sensor data (e.g., through machine and deep learning)
Combining survey, sensor, and app data

We encourage submission of work in progress and are particularly interested in studies that use experimental designs to test strategies to collect data from mobile apps, sensors, and wearables. We are open to both empirical studies as well as descriptions of research data collection and infrastructure (e.g., front- or backend of an app) and processing of data from apps and sensors.

Submission process and timeline

Please submit your abstract (max. 500 words) for the workshop to massworkshop@zohomail.eu. The abstract should contain a research question, data collection procedures/the description of the app, and results (if available). If results are not available yet, the abstract should outline the type of analyses that will be presented at the workshop and whether data collection took place already.

Participation in the workshop is only possible when an abstract is accepted for the workshop. We intend to keep the workshop limited to about 40 participants.

Timeline:

22 January 2025: Deadline for abstract submission.
14 February 2025: Feedback on acceptance will be provided.
20 May 2025: Deadline for handout submission - all participants will be required to submit a 5-page handout presenting context, screenshots, tables, or other supporting materials for the workshop. All participants are expected to read all handouts before coming to the workshop.
4 June 2025: Start of MASS Workshop

German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW)

Lange Laube 12 | 30159 Hannover | www.dzhw.eu | Germany

Prof. Dr. Jan Karem Höhne

Head of CS3 Lab for Computational Survey and Social Science

Leibniz University Hannover

German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW)

Research Area 4: Research Infrastructure and Methods

Tel. +49 511 450670-458

Fax +49 511 450670-960

www.jkhoehne.eu

Upcoming and most recent publications:

- Höhne, J.K., Lenzner, T., & Claassen, J. (2025). Automatic speech-to-text transcription: Evidence from a smartphone survey with voice answers. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. DOI: 10.1080/13645579.2024.2443633

- Höhne, J.K., Claassen, J., Shahania, S., & Broneske, D. (2024). Bots in web survey interviews: A showcase. International Journal of Market Research. DOI: 10.1177/14707853241297009

- Salvatore, C., & Höhne, J.K. (2024). Explaining item-nonresponse in open questions with requests for voice responses. Conference Proceeding of the Italian Statistical Society.

- Höhne, J.K. & Claassen, J. (2024). Examining final comment questions with requests for written and oral answers. International Journal of Market Research. DOI: 10.1177/14707853241229329

- Höhne, J.K., Gavras, K., & Claassen, J. (2024). Typing or speaking? Comparing text and voice answers to open questions on sensitive topics in smartphone surveys. Social Science Computer Review. DOI: 10.1177/08944393231160961

- Lenzner, T., Höhne, J.K., & Gavras, K. (2024). Innovating web probing: Comparing written and oral answers to open-ended probing questions in a smartphone survey. Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology. DOI: 10.1093/jssam/smae031