Computer Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) refers to the collection of quantitative data by means of online surveys. The link to the questionnaire is sent to potential respondents via email or posted on a website or social media page and the questionnaire is completed at the respondent’s convenience on a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The questionnaire is administered entirely on the web, and is self-administered.

CAWI is highly cost-efficient, rapid, and scalability. It is very inexpensive, makes no interviewers or travel necessary and is thus well-suited for reaching large, heterogeneous, or foreign samples. The surveys are more engaging and interactive, incorporating advanced options such as logic branching, multimedia content (images, videos), and progress tracking.

It is particularly applicable to surveys of market research, product feedback, customer satisfaction, and polling public opinion. Researchers can make rapid analyses of trends and patterns.

Of course, CAWI also has its drawbacks. It necessitates digital literacy and access to the internet by respondents, what may result in sampling bias for some populations. Surveys may have low response rates if they are overly long or poorly designed and may also have missing data.

To address these issues, researchers should develop mobile-optimized, short, and engaging questionnaires. Reminders and incentives can also help increase participation.

In summary, CAWI is an advantageous method for quantitative data collection when obtaining data quickly from large samples at low cost is desirable. The capacity to obtain clean and structured data in real time, makes it a crucial method for research today.