Technology

What you need

To take part, all you need is a device with internet access and an up-to-date browser. There is nothing to install, nothing to download and no account to create.

• Device: desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone — the questionnaire adapts to the screen size.
• Browser: a current version of Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari. Older browsers usually work as well, but are not tested specifically.
• JavaScript: must be enabled — in almost every browser this is the default setting.
• Cookies: the questionnaire sets a single, technically necessary session cookie. It keeps you signed in while you fill in the questionnaire, so that you do not have to re-enter the code on every page; it is not used to analyse your behaviour and expires after two hours without input or when you submit. Your progress itself is stored not in the cookie but under your access code — which is why you can continue on another device.

Checking your device

The following details are determined by your own browser. They are displayed here only and are not transmitted to us. If you report a technical problem to us, it helps to include these lines.

About the survey software

The questionnaire is a bespoke application developed specifically for this panel. No third-party survey platform is involved. The questionnaire runs under the same address as this portal — www.duesseldorfer-kulturpanel.de — so you do not leave the site when moving from the portal to the questionnaire.

Portal and questionnaire are hosted by STRATO AG (Otto-Ostrowski-Straße 7, 10249 Berlin, Germany); the servers are located in Germany. A data processing agreement under Article 28 GDPR is in place with STRATO. Your answers therefore stay in Germany.

No analytics services, no advertising networks and no profiling are used. That is also why you will not meet a cookie banner on these pages: there is nothing to consent to beyond the technically necessary session handling.

Security of your data and its transmission

Your answers are transmitted in encrypted form between your device and the survey server. On that path, unauthorised parties can neither read nor alter the content.

Your access code serves only to avoid duplicate participation and to avoid writing to you again. Address data and answers are kept separately; the link between the two is deleted once the survey is complete. Details are on the Data page and in the privacy notice.

Encryption of the online survey

The online survey is encrypted with TLS 1.2 or higher. TLS (“Transport Layer Security”) is the same method used for online banking. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the padlock symbol in your browser’s address bar and by the address starting with https://.

Should your browser display a certificate warning, please stop and contact us rather than clicking past the warning.

Accessibility

The portal is built so that it can be operated entirely by keyboard, works with magnification and high contrast, and can be read aloud by screen readers. What has already been implemented, what is still missing and how to report a barrier to us is set out in the accessibility statement.

A version in Leichte Sprache (simplified German) is also available.

If something does not work

• The page does not load fully: reload it (F5, or Ctrl + R). If the problem persists, try a different browser.
• The questionnaire does not respond: usually JavaScript is disabled — the check above will tell you.
• You cannot get back to your earlier progress: make sure you are using the same access code. Your progress is tied to the code, not to the device.
• Company or school network: filters there sometimes block unfamiliar addresses. Try from home or over a mobile connection.

If that does not help, write to us via the Contact page. Please mention the last steps before the error and the details from the check above — that helps us find the cause considerably faster.