Estimating the robustness of questionnaire results: lessons from a mixed-mode survey of expectations for tele-working and road-based business travel

The robustness of questionnaire results to various forms of bias are explored in the context of a dual-mode (web and hardcopy) survey of employers’ anticipations of levels of employee commuting and business travel activity under a range of future ICT scenarios. The questionnaire incorporated several innovative features which, together with the dual-mode format, allowed an unusually wide range of analyses. For example: the robustness of respondents’ opinions was tested by examining the effect of incorporating alternative versions of a briefing text, one being very positive and one very negative, about the role of ICT; instrument bias was identified via detailed comparison of the results from the two versions of the questionnaire; and the impact of exogenous factors which are often ignored or taken as constant was assessed via special supplementary questions. Analysis showed that the robustness of opinions and expectations varied and was influenced by respondent characteristics, and that results from the two versions of the questionnaire differed significantly. It is concluded that opinions and expectations are less robust, and questionnaire results are more subject to bias and myopic interpretation, than is generally recognised and that web-based surveys seem particularly vulnerable to sampling bias. Methods are suggested for measuring robustness, for reducing bias and for validating and contextualising results. The use of contrasting briefing texts is recommended as a means of establishing the robustness of opinions and expectations while supplementary questions are recommended for validating and contextualising SP and SE exercises.

某15000DWT散货船货舱结构骨架设计形式比较

文章对15000DWT散货船货舱区域进行全纵骨和全横骨两种骨架形式的结构规范设计,并针对两种骨架形式分别计算货舱结构的总纵强度,最后对两种骨架形式进行了比较,为船舶设计中骨架形式的选取具有一定指导和借鉴意义。     

Application of plastic framing requirements for polar ships

A new International Association of Classification Societies (ICAS) standard for Polar Ship design, in the form of a Unified Requirement is being developed by an international committee with representatives from many classification societies and with the active participation of many polar nations. The framing structural requirements have been developed by a combination of analysis of existing rules and ships, finite element analysis and analytical solutions of plastic collapse mechanisms. This paper describes the use of the rule formulae in designs. The formulae contain interactions between shear and bending and give the designer options and flexibility in satisfying the strength requirements. Effective design requires knowledge of the effects, and the possible approaches to reach a satisfactory design.     

Derivation of plastic framing requirements for polar ships

A new International Association of Classification Societies standard for polar ship design, in the form of a unified requirement is being developed by an international committee with representatives from many classification societies and with the active participation of many polar nations. The framing structural requirements have been developed by a combination of analysis of existing rules and ships, finite element (FE) analysis and analytical solutions of plastic collapse mechanisms. This paper describes the derivation of the 3-hinge and asymmetrical shear plastic collapse mechanisms using work–energy principles. Energy methods are robust and well suited for developing design standards. The results are shown to compare well with non-linear FE analyses of frame strength.     

Improving the effectiveness of road safety campaigns: Current and new practices

The evaluation of campaigns aimed at improving road safety is still the exception rather than the rule. Because of this, ineffective campaigns and campaign techniques are allowed to continue to be utilised without question, while new methods of behaviour modification are often ignored. Therefore, the necessity and advantages of formally evaluating road safety campaign efforts are discussed. This article also describes the pros and cons of some of the more common campaign strategies and introduces a number of new methods that show a great deal of promise for the purpose of road safety campaigns. In order to infuse the field of road safety campaigning with such new insights into road user behaviour and behavioural modification, one should look beyond the confines of road safety campaign standards and learn from the knowledge gained in other disciplines such as economics and social psychology. These new insights are discussed in terms of their implications for the future of road safety campaigns.     

The role of attitude structures,direct experience and reframing for the success of congestion pricing

Congestion pricing was introduced in Stockholm in 2006, first as a trial followed by a referendum, and permanently from 2007. Public attitudes to the charges became more negative during the period from the decision to the start of the system. Once the trial started, public attitudes became dramatically more positive over the following years, going from 2/3 against the charges to more than 2/3 in favor of the charges. Self-reported changes in behavior and attitudes considerably underestimate actual changes: about 3/4 of the decrease in car trips and more than half of the change in attitudes seem to have gone unnoticed by respondents, ex post. Self-interest and belief in the charges’ effectiveness strongly affect attitudes at any given point in time, but can only explain a minor part of the change in attitudes. I suggest that the debate and the shift in attitudes can be understood as a public and political reframing of the congestion charges over time.