Differences Between Landline and Mobile Phone Users in Sexual Behavior Research

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Public Health
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Telephone surveys are common for collecting sensitive data like sexual behavior.
• Historically, landline-based sampling was standard, but mobile phone usage has increased.
• Differences in demographics and participation between landline and mobile users may affect data representativeness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in demographic characteristics, participation rates, and sexual behaviors between landline and mobile phone samples in Australia.
• To assess the impact of telephone user status on the representativeness of sexual behavior data.
• To provide recommendations for improving telephone survey methodologies.

Main Methods:

• A nationally representative sample of Australians aged 18 years and over was recruited.
• Data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews in December 2011.
• Two groups were sampled: landline users (n=1012) and mobile phone users (n=1002).

Main Results:

• Telephone user status was significantly related to all demographic variables (gender, age, education, residence, etc.).
• Unadjusted analyses showed associations between telephone status and women's participation rates, number of sexual partners, and lifetime sexual experience.
• After controlling for demographics, telephone status was only independently related to women's participation rates, suggesting demographic factors explain other differences.

Conclusions:

• Telephone user status is associated with participation bias in sexual behavior research.
• Demographic factors largely explain the observed differences in sexual behavior between landline and mobile phone samples.
• Sampling both landline and mobile phone users is essential for enhancing the representativeness of sexual behavior data collected via telephone interviews.