Understanding adolescent engagement in media web surveys: how question design shapes nonresponse

Adolescent research in the field of communication has grown in prominence, yet methodologies tailored to this population remain underdeveloped. This study examines how adolescents engage with a self-administered web survey focused on media trust, news consumption, digital literacy, and political attitudes. We analyze patterns of non-substantive responding – such as selecting ‘don’t know’ (DK) or providing no answer (NA) – as indicators of how young respondents interact with digital measurement interfaces in the context of communication research. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from survey methodology, we study how interface design features – such as question wording, response format, and sensitivity – shape adolescents’ engagement with media-related questions. Using data from 2,684 Chilean high school students (473,652 question-respondent observations), we estimate multilevel and multinomial logistic models that account for both the likelihood of providing a substantive response and, conditional on non-substantive responding, the choice between DK and NA. Results suggest a two-stage response process: question characteristics are more strongly associated with substantive responding, while the DK/NA distinction is primarily related to socioeconomic status, with question features playing a minor role. Although many findings are consistent with adult survey research, two important differences emerge: age is a more consistent predictor of non-substantive responding among adolescents, and question position is associated with declining non-substantive responses, suggesting a potential learning process across the survey. These findings offer new insights into adolescent interaction with digital surveys and demonstrate how adapting tools from survey methodology can improve communication research on youth media attitudes and behaviors.