4.1. Survey Method

This paper is mainly based on a questionnaire survey, supplemented by a literature survey and field interviews.

A large amount of literature was studied, including but not limited to academic literature, policy documents, news reports, economic development reports, etc. The research on relevant literature guided the investigation and analysis process in this paper and supplemented the further understanding of the research question.

The field interviews were conducted during the pre-investigation stage. The interviewees were the same as the survey respondents, including food delivery workers, couriers, and online car-hailing drivers in Hangzhou. The contents included the basic information, family characteristics, work situation, social security, and well-being of these three groups. The pre-designed survey content was modified according to the interview results to form a questionnaire.

In addition, the street interview meant that the interviewer selected the respondents in some pre-selected locations according to certain procedures and requirements. After obtaining the consent of interviewees, a brief survey on the spot was conducted according to the questionnaire questions. This survey adopted the street interview method, which is low-cost and can answer questions during the survey process, thereby improving the reliability of the survey results.