Research with the GESIS AppKit

SmartDyn is a DFG-funded project, which is part of the Special Priority Program “New Data Spaces for the Social Sciences”. It investigates how smartphone-based intensive longitudinal data collections can be methodologically designed and analytically leveraged to capture and explain emotions and dynamic developments of political attitudes during electoral campaigns. The project is organized around working packages focusing on three main objectives: First, testing how variations in incentives and task frequency affect participation and retention. Second, leveraging app-based features like image uploads and reactions to real-time political events. Third, evaluating the analytical potential of high-frequency longitudinal methods for capturing short-term fluctuations in political opinions and emotions. 

Data collection took place in the context of the 2025 German Federal Election. Participants recruited from the GESIS Panel.dbd were asked to answer short surveys each day (~3 min each) across three weeks before and one week after the election. These included (bi-)daily and weekly surveys, semi-weekly campaign image uploads, and event-specific questionnaires. Experimental conditions varied app-installation incentives, rewards per questionnaire, and survey frequency (46 vs. 60 total surveys). 

Of those invited, 68% consented to participate; among them, 94% installed the app and completed at least one survey. In total, 846 active participants submitted approximately 28,000 surveys (mean = 33), including 4,460 image uploads. 

Researchers: PD Dr. Axel Burger, Dr. Joss Roßmann, Dr. Julia Weiß, Jan Eric Meurer
Year: 2025

While intensive longitudinal methods are an established tool in other fields, the design and implementation of smartphone-based intensive longitudinal data collection is relatively novel to the field of public opinion research. Therefore, this project examined how smartphone-based intensive longitudinal data collection can be used to capture and explain emotions, media consumption, and political attitudes in the context of the electoral campaign of the 2024 European Elections in Germany. 

Participants were recruited from the GESIS Panel.dbd and asked to answer 1-2 short surveys (~3min each) per day in the GESIS SMART App over the course of the 4 weeks leading up to the election. 

The surveys consisted of sets of repeated daily and weekly questionnaires, and semi-weekly prompts to upload images of election advertising (including follow-up surveys). 

Of those invited, 68% consented to participate; among them, 70% installed the app and completed at least one survey. In total, 681 active participants submitted approximately 16,000 surveys (mean = 23.7) and 1.893 image uploads. 

Researchers: Axel Babst, PD Dr. Axel Burger, Dr. Vanessa Lux, Dr. Frank Mangold, Dr. Joachim Piepenburg, Dr. Lukas Rahnke-Otto, Dr. Julia Weiß, Dr. Bernd Weiß, Dr. Mareike Wieland
Year: 2024

This project investigated how students use ChatGPT in their daily lives. The focus was on three central research questions: First, which types of ChatGPT usage situations can be identified in everyday life, depending on factors such as device, software platform, location, and social context? Second, how do these situations differ in terms of perceived gratifications, the importance of receiving a response, and the duration of use? Third, what types of ChatGPT users can be reliably derived from these usage situations.  

A sample of 42 students from communication science and psychology received three random push notifications per day between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. over a 14-day period to collect data. In total, 316 ChatGPT usage situations were documented by 39 participants. 

Researchers: Prof. Dr. Veronika Karnowski, Dr. Daniel Pietschmann, Natalie Rödel
Year: 2024