Abstract:

Nowadays new equipment, new software with multi-media features and new data-input techniques are available for computer-aided personal interviews (CAPI): pen and voice recording. We call these small and light pen-pads with keyboards the CAPI Generation. An experiment showed that these new input techniques help to overcome a disadvantage of CAPI Generation I: now there are no longer fewer answers to open questions in CAPI than in paper-and-pencil interviews. The experiment also showed when it is advantageous to use interviewers and when self-administered CAPI is adequate.