Good practice workshop: Retrospective measurement of life events in online

The study of life events and their impact on individual and social outcomes has long been a focus across the social sciences. Research on life events often relies on the collection of retrospective data but recall errors can lead to misreporting or omissions. Traditional question-based approaches are widely used, yet they often struggle to capture the complexity and interdependence of events over extended periods. Calendar-based approaches use graphical representations of the reference period and life domains to facilitate memory recall through parallel cueing can be an effective alternative. While life history calendars (LHCs) and event history calendars (EHCs) have most often been implemented in interviewer-administered surveys, there is growing interest in adapting them for online self-completion.

In this workshop, we will present findings from a recent evidence review conducted as part of Research Strand 5 of Survey Futures, which gathered evidence from 13 studies that have collected retrospective life history data online. The studies included high-quality probability-based longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys, as well as surveys with experimental designs. We will summarise the different approaches employed in these studies and present a survey practice guide based on their findings, focusing on the key design features, which were found to improve recall and data quality. This workshop is aimed at both survey researchers and practitioners, and will provide guidance for designing and implementing robust retrospective data collection in online surveys.