ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the design of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) Internet experiment. The Internet interviews were launched in 2003 and early 2006, including many questions that were also in the regular 2002 and 2004 HRS interviews, as well as specific experimental modules designed for Internet interviewing. The two Internet questionnaires were also quite different. The first one focused on Internet and computer use, health problems, disability and work limitations, numeracy items, psychosocial items, expectations, and questions about household assets. The second Internet interview focused on Internet and computer use, health and emotional problems, prescription drugs, social security expectations, and the same household assets. The difference between the 2003 Internet interview and the two regular surveys is primarily one of context. In the regular surveys the questions about checking and savings and about stocks and stock mutual funds are part of an exhaustive list of questions about different types of assets.
