Interactive travel survey methods : the state-of-the-art.

Interactive survey methods exploit the dynamics of the personal interview in order to probe the attitudes, motivations, perceptions and behaviour of respondents at a deeper level than is possible using a structured questionnaire. To achieve these benefits, however, correspondingly greater skills are required, both during the interview and in the analysis and interpretation of results. The paper considers a number of key methodological features associated with different forms of interactive technique, including the dynamics of the group discussion, the use of display equipment and the role of gaming simulation. Examples are given of the practical benefits that have been derived from the use of these methods in a number of policy contexts. Three general contexts are identified in which the approach has been applied within a larger transport study, covering exploratory, investigative and interpretative roles. Although interactive survey methods represent a relatively new approach in the transport context, they have excited considerable interest and offer a means of tackling a number of current issues; there are also dangers of misapplication, however, which the analyst should guard against. (Author/publisher) for the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 286978.