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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Panellists
Information for panelists (for respondents or panel members) are available here.
 


General information for customers

1. How many panellists does the 1KA Panel have? The panel currently has more than 3,000 panellists who have agreed to participate. See Methodology for further details.

2. What is the response rate? 
  • In traditional postal recruitment with a conditional incentive of 10€ (given to respondents after they complete the survey), around 35 % of the invited adult general population in Slovenia participate online.
  • Two-thirds of the participants in the recruitment survey then decide to participate in the panel on a permanent basis - i.e. as panellists.
  • In total, the overall response rate (ORR) of those invited to the recruitment survey is 20 %.
  • Typically, around 90 % of invited panellists respond in a given wave. The overall response rate is therefore 18%. See Methodology for further details.
3. How much does a survey in the 1KA Panel cost? The Costs segment provides a detailed breakdown of the pricing.
 
4. Are additional services available in the 1KA Panel? The panel offers additional services: a) questionnaire development, set-up and testing, b) additional data, statistical and methodological interventions, c) content analysis, d) measures to further increase participation rates, and e) methodological and statistical advice. Costs are based on additional costs and estimated or actual hours spent - see 1KA price list.

5. How are the panellists incentivized? Panellists who are invited to a particular survey receive a 5€ gift voucher in advance (by post). Panellists receive the incentive unconditionally, regardless of whether they participate or not. In the case of longer surveys, it is useful to add a conditional incentive once the respondent has completed the survey. For panel recruitment, 10€ is usually offered, but only on condition that the respondent completes a recruitment survey, in which they then decide to continue participating in the panel. See Methodology for further details.
 

Data and questionnaire

6. How quickly can data be collected? 
  • How quickly can questions be included in the 1KA panel? The client must agree with the contractor at least two months before the desired execution, especially if the survey will be conducted on a new sample. If the survey is conducted only on existing panelists on an independent sample, it is generally possible to start the survey within a month if the questionnaire is already prepared and there are no additional complications (e.g., complex negotiations). If the survey set is added to an existing wave, where there are also other clients, the timeline can be further shortened or extended due to adjustments to the panel wave schedule. In any case, we recommend contacting us as soon as possible. Experience shows that considerable time is needed for preliminary negotiations, exploring possible options, questionnaire adjustments, etc.
  • How long do the preparations for including questions in the 1KA panel take? Typically, it is necessary to define the desired survey method, sample size and composition, questionnaire, and research timeline at least one month before surveying. During this time, it is necessary to order gift cards and envelopes and test the questionnaire.
  • How quickly can data be collected in the survey? Once all technical details are agreed upon with the client and the questionnaire is prepared, an introductory letter invitation (along with a reward) is sent to the selected panelists, followed by up to three reminders via email (at weekly intervals). Therefore, it is recommended that the survey be active for around 30 days. Data can be collected more quickly, but it is advisable for the survey to be active for at least two weeks. The shortest possible duration is one week. Shortening the period may lower the response rate.

7. Which standard (e.g. demographic) questions are already included in the questionnaire? An overview of standard questions can be found here. Questions marked in red (gender, age, education, status and income) are mandatory.

8. Which variables does the client receive in the database? In addition to the questions that the client has included, the client also gets:
  • All other questions included in the survey (unless other clients do not wish to share the data).
  • Basic demographic variables: gender, age, education, region and settlement type.
  • Other demographic variables, if included in the survey.
  • Paradata (upon request).
9. Who has access to the collected data and is it also accessible to external researchers? The Center for Social Informatics and the responsible client have access to the data or microdata. In the case of public ARIS or European projects, the data are also stored in public data archives. In the case of a survey financed by an external client, the microdata is only publicly available if the responsible client agrees to this. In terms of analyses, all results - of course in the form of aggregated analyses, where it is not possible to identify an individual - are in principle publicly published, either in the form of summaries or in-depth analyses. This applies in particular to research conducted with public ARIS research funds. An exception may be analyses by individual clients that request a certain postponement of publication or limited publication.

10. Where can I review the questionnaires and results of previously conducted surveys and check whether my questions overlap with existing or conducted ones? Questionnaires and results of previous waves of the 1KA panel are located in the Reports tab - Slovenian only.

11. How do I cite the data? In the case of citation according to the APA 7th edition style, the format is as follows: Centre for Social Informatics (year). Data file title [data file]. URL link
 

Use of the 1KA Panel

12. Who can utilize the panel? The panel is intended for all users who wish to conduct a survey in the broad field of social sciences, so in principle, there are no restrictions.

13. Can the 1KA Panel be utilized by the commercial sector? The 1KA Panel is primarily aimed at clients in the academic, public and non-profit sectors. Still, there are no principled reservations for commercial sector clients or content.

14. What is the maximum number of questions that can be included in a single survey? Surveys usually take 20 minutes, which is about 100 survey items. Of course, survey blocks can be shorter. On the other hand, a larger number of items can be included on the basis of additional agreements. Experience shows that with appropriate motivation and increased incentives, surveys of up to one hour can be conducted online without issue.

15. What survey modes are available for non-internet users? The panel is primarily online-based, but at the request of the client, the survey can also be conducted by other means for non-internet users, e.g. via a postal survey.

16. What kind of research can be carried out in the 1KA Panel? All online survey designs can be conducted in the panel, from experimental to cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys.

17. Is it possible to utilize only a certain segment of the panel, e.g. respondents below 30 years of age or from a certain region? Of course. However, it should be taken into account that the number of potential respondents will decrease accordingly. The 1KA Panel is primarily intended for surveys of the general population.

18. Is it possible to include questions on sensitive topics, e.g. controlled substance use? Yes.

19. What is the survey language? The surveys are conducted in Slovenian by default, as the 1KA Panel includes permanent residents of Slovenia, but other languages can easily be added.
 

Ethics and Data Protection

20. What ethics guidelines and codes should be followed? The following guidelines and codes need to be adhered to:
  • General terms of use of the 1KA tool.
  • Standards in the field of survey research, in particular the AAPOR Code.
  • The ESOMAR and ISI codes should also be followed, as well as the corresponding codes of the professional associations in Slovenia (statisticians, sociologists, political scientists, marketing, etc.).
  • As the panel is conducted within an academic institution, the codes of the University of Ljubljana and the ALLEA Code for European Researchers should also be followed.
In this context, the 1KA Panel reviews potential questionnaires and reserves the right to exclude certain questions.
 

21. When is an (ethics) approval required? 

  • The Centre for Social Informatics has a general ethics approval to conduct surveys.
  • Additional approval is not required to survey respondents aged 15 years or older, except in the case of medical experiments. 
  • Parental consent is required in the case of surveys with respondents under 15 years of age.
22. How is data protection handled? In this respect, the highest standards of personal data protection are observed:
  • In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for academic and research purposes on behalf of the public interest, personal contact details are only used for the purpose of inviting respondents to participate in surveys.
  • All personal information is stored securely, in accordance with European and Slovenian legislation. Access to contact data is stored securely for the duration of the research only at the Centre for Social Informatics (SCI) of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana.
  • Names and contact details are also reliably and permanently deleted in the event of opting out of the panel and prior to any publication of the results, and anonymised responses (where it is no longer possible to identify who responded to the survey) are securely stored indefinitely.
  • Care is taken to ensure that no respondent can be identified from the published results. Sensitive responses and combinations of responses that could potentially reveal the respondent are deleted or protected by a special restricted access regime.
  • Until the data is published, respondents have the right to change, amend or request the deletion of their answers to any question (form at 1ka.cdi.si/gdpr).
 

Choosing the Right Survey Design
 

23. How to decide between a probability panel and a non-probability panel? This is a very complex question, and one of the central academic themes of the Centre for Social Informatics and the Internet Research Programme. It is about finding the optimal solution, and the delicate balance between costs and errors in surveys. In this context, the basic question is what quality (accuracy, impartiality) of estimates do you need. This is of course closely linked to the question of cost: do you have the resources needed to achieve the quality you want? The area you are researching also plays an important role. Certain topics, e.g. voting behaviour, work out very well in online non-probability panels, but many other topics do not. The dilemma is highlighted in detail here:

Other CSI materials on the topic may also be of use: And in a broader sense, the following materials are also relevant to the topic:


24. How to decide between a traditional survey and the 1KA Panel? The 1KA Panel is in many ways more favourable than a traditional survey (see Advantages). However, it should be kept in mind that the 1KA Panel excludes non-users of the internet by default. This figure is still around 10 % in Slovenia (in the 15 - 75 age group). Some surveys addressing socio-economic statuses or behaviours related to non-use of the Internet (e.g. unemployment, social status, health, seniors) therefore need to be complemented with a mixed mode survey design, as confirmed by selected surveys from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia. However, variables dealing mainly with attitudes (which represent the bulk of social science surveys) do not usually need this supplement. Studies confirm that in countries with around 10 % or less of non-users, the additional inclusion of non-users in such panels is generally not necessary (e.g. Bach et al., 2024). It can thus be reserved for specific surveys that would require it.

 

For more information, please contact us.