Measuring experienced wellbeing: Two methods for smartphone-based Ecological Momentary Assessment

Abstract

Since 2010 the widespread availability of smartphones has lowered barriers to collecting experienced wellbeing (EWB) data through ecological momentary assessment (EMA). This paper reports on two New Zealand studies that explore the impact of social context, activity, and the diurnal cycle on the EWB of social housing tenants. The two studies adopt different approaches to implementing EMA via a smartphone. The first uses a smartphone app to collect information on EWB, while the second adopts an instant messaging approach.

Despite differences in the EMA approach used and sample characteristics, both studies produce very similar results. Social contact is associated with higher experienced wellbeing, as is travelling when compared to other activities. Both studies also effectively replicate findings from the wider literature on the relationship between the diurnal cycle and experienced happiness.

Because the studies both took place in New Zealand in the second half of 2023 and focus on similar target populations, a comparison between them has useful lessons for the impact of the different approaches to EMA on data collection. We find that the instant messaging approach achieved better compliance with the EMA protocol, suggesting that the familiarity of instant messaging may be beneficial for data quality for some respondents. However, the instant messaging approach requires more researcher time per interview and cannot collect GPS information on the respondent’s location, sacrificing a major strength of EMA measures.