Changes in Survey Research |

The latest wave of the German Internet Panel (GIP) reveals a significant shift in participants’ response behavior: for the first time, more respondents completed the questionnaire on a smartphone than on a computer.

In the first GIP wave in September 2012, only about 4% of participants used a smartphone, while approximately 94% completed the survey on a computer. Since then, the use of smartphones has steadily increased, while computer usage has continuously declined.

In the most recent 76th wave (March 2025), 49% of respondents used a smartphone, compared to 48% who used a computer. Tablets have always played a minor role: their share was 2% in wave 1 and was 3% in wave 76.

This development highlights the growing importance of mobile-optimized questionnaire design — a standard that the GIP has been implementing for several years.

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