Abstract:

The thesis of the paper is that within the next decade we are likely to see two revolutions in data collection for market research surveys that are currently conducted by face-to-face interviews. The first part of the paper concerns the CAPI revolution (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). It describes the story so far, the impetus for the revolution in the UK, and the implications for research which it will bring with it. The second part of the paper concerns the HAPPI revolution (Home-based Active Passive Personal Interviewing) the path of which is less certain. HAPPI is defined as the replacement of interviewers entirely by technology for research that is currently conducted either face-to-face or by telephone. The impetus for the revolution lies in a combination of circumstances involving technological developments, social factors and research methodology considerations. These are discussed together with the implications for research when the HAPPI revolution occurs.