IT-Enabled Survey and Its Problems: Analyses of an Australian Internet Poll

The use of web-based surveys has expanded rapidly during the past few years as the number of Internet users increased. However, lack of representativeness cause hesitation in utilizing data collected via the Internet as compared to more conventional sampling methodology. This paper analyses the problem of non-representativeness in open online surveys using a passive sampling method, taking as an example the results of the ANU Internet Opinion Poll (ANU Poll) conducted in research on the 2004 Australian federal election. It clarifies that the sampling bias in online polls causes inaccurate statistical inferences.