Instant messaging tools in official statistics: a usage model in the 7° Italian census of agriculture

Abstract

The data collection of the Italian 7th General Census of Agriculture took place from January to July 2021, through a synchronous multi-technique (CAPI, CATI, CAWI) design. During the survey, innovative contact tools were offered to respondents, alongside traditional communication channels. Through SMS and WhatsApp it was possible to collect the requests of over 2,000 farms, facilitating subsequent contact with the interviewers. The following work intends to show the results obtained and the propensity to use innovative contact channels. It proposes a model that allows correlating this use to some representative indicators of the territory characteristics, demographics, and the diffusion of the so-called "Digital culture".