The benefits of in situ reporting: Experimental evidence from in-the-moment surveys of public transit riders
Published in Behavior Research Methods, 2026
Overview
This paper presents a smartphone-based field experiment comparing in-situ, geo-triggered transit surveys with near-time post-trip surveys.
Key Findings
- Real-time prompts achieved higher response rates than post-event surveys (74.7% vs. 58.0%).
- In-situ reporting produced less speeding and greater within-person differentiation across trips.
- Daily incentives supported more sustained participation than per-survey incentives.
Recommended Citation
Antoun, C., Frías-Martínez, V., Garove, A., Awasthi, N., & Abrar, S. M. (2026). The benefits of in situ reporting: Experimental evidence from in-the-moment surveys of public transit riders. Behavior Research Methods, 58(7), 174. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-026-03022-z
Recommended citation: Antoun, C., Frías-Martínez, V., Garove, A., Awasthi, N., & Abrar, S. M. (2026). The benefits of in situ reporting: Experimental evidence from in-the-moment surveys of public transit riders. Behavior Research Methods, 58(7), 174. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-026-03022-z
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