For many household surveys in the United States, responses rates have been steadily declining for at least the past two decades. A similar decline in survey response can be observed in all wealthy countries. Efforts to raise response rates have used such strategies as monetary incentives or repeated attempts to contact sample members and obtain completed interviews, but these strategies increase the costs of surveys. This review addresses the core issues regarding survey nonresponse. It considers why response rates are declining and what that means for the accuracy of survey results. These trends are of particular concern for the social science community, which is heavily invested in obtaining information from household surveys. The evidence to date makes it apparent that current trends in nonresponse, if not arrested, threaten to undermine the potential of household surveys to elicit information that assists in understanding social and economic issues. The trends also threaten to weaken the validity of inferences drawn from estimates based on those surveys. High nonresponse rates create the potential or risk for bias in estimates and affect survey design, data collection, estimation, and analysis. The survey community is painfully aware of these trends and has responded aggressively to these threats. The interview modes employed by surveys in the public and private sectors have proliferated as new technologies and methods have emerged and matured. To the traditional trio of mail, telephone, and face-to-face surveys have been added interactive voice response (IVR), audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI), web surveys, and a number of hybrid methods. Similarly, a growing research agenda has emerged in the past decade or so focused on seeking solutions to various aspects of the problem of survey nonresponse; the potential solutions that have been considered range from better training and deployment of interviewers to more use of incentives, better use of the information collected in the data collection, and increased use of auxiliary information from other sources in survey design and data collection. Nonresponse in Social Science Surveys: A Research Agenda also documents the increased use of information collected in the survey process in nonresponse adjustment.

A comprehensive, one-stop guide to identifying, reducing, and managing nonresponse in household surveys Nonresponse and its impact on the sample selection mechanism of a survey is a common problem that often arises while collecting survey data. Handbook of Nonresponse in Household Surveys is a complete guide to handling the nonresponse problem, outlining statistical methods and techniques for improving response rates and correcting response data. The authors begin with an introduction to the nonresponse problem along with basic concepts and definitions. Subsequent chapters present current theories and methods that enable survey researchers to skillfully account for nonresponse in their research. Exploring the latest developments in the field, the book also features: An introduction to the R-indicator as an indicator of survey quality Discussion of the different causes of nonresponse Extensive treatment of the selection and use of auxiliary information Best practices for re-approaching nonrespondents An overview of advanced nonresponse correction techniques Coverage of adaptive survey design Throughout the book, the treatment of each topic is presented in a uniform fashion. Following an introduction, each chapter presents the key theories and formulas underlying the topic and then illustrates common applications. Discussion concludes with a summary of the main concepts as well as a glossary of key terms and a set of exercises that allows readers to test their comprehension of the presented material. Examples using real survey data are provided, and a related website features additional data sets, which can be easily analyzed using Stata® or SPSS® software. Handbook of Nonresponse in Household Surveys is an essential reference for survey researchers working in the fields of business, economics, government, and the social sciences who gather, analyze, and draw results from data. It is also a suitable supplement for courses on survey methods at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels.

Adaptive survey designs (ASDs) provide a framework for data-driven tailoring of data collection procedures to different sample members, often for cost and bias reduction. People vary in how likely they are to respond and in how they respond. This variation leads to opportunities to selectively deploy design features in order to control both nonresponse and measurement errors. ASD aims at the optimal matching of design features and the characteristics of respondents given the survey budget. Such a goal is sensible, but ASD requires investment in more advanced technical systems and management infrastructure and asks for the collection of relevant auxiliary data. So what are current best practices in ASD? And is ASD worthwhile when the same auxiliary data are employed in the estimation afterwards? In this book, the authors provide answers to these questions, and much more.

To the uninformed, surveys appear to be an easy type of research to design and conduct, but when students and professionals delve deeper, they encounter the vast complexities that the range and practice of survey methods present. To complicate matters, technology has rapidly affected the way surveys can be conducted; today, surveys are conducted via cell phone, the Internet, email, interactive voice response, and other technology-based modes. Thus, students, researchers, and professionals need both a comprehensive understanding of these complexities and a revised set of tools to meet the challenges. In conjunction with top survey researchers around the world and with Nielsen Media Research serving as the corporate sponsor, the Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods presents state-of-the-art information and methodological examples from the field of survey research. Although there are other "how-to" guides and references texts on survey research, none is as comprehensive as this Encyclopedia, and none presents the material in such a focused and approachable manner. With more than 600 entries, this resource uses a Total Survey Error perspective that considers all aspects of possible survey error from a cost-benefit standpoint. Key Features Covers all major facets of survey research methodology, from selecting the sample design and the sampling frame, designing and pretesting the questionnaire, data collection, and data coding, to the thorny issues surrounding diminishing response rates, confidentiality, privacy, informed consent and other ethical issues, data weighting, and data analyses Presents a Reader′s Guide to organize entries around themes or specific topics and easily guide users to areas of interest Offers cross-referenced terms, a brief listing of Further Readings, and stable Web site URLs following most entries The Encyclopedia of Survey Research Methods is specifically written to appeal to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students, practitioners, researchers, consultants, and consumers of survey-based information.

This volume offers coverage of research in the field of survey nonresponse, the primary threat to the statistical integrity of surveys. This book was written in conjunction with the International Conference on Survey Nonresponse, October 1999.

Covers the latest methodologies and research on international comparative surveys with contributions from noted experts in the field Advances in Comparative Survey Methodology examines the most recent advances in methodology and operations as well as the technical developments in international survey research. With contributions from a panel of international experts, the text includes information on the use of Big Data in concert with survey data, collecting biomarkers, the human subject regulatory environment, innovations in data collection methodology and sampling techniques, use of paradata across the survey lifecycle, metadata standards for dissemination, and new analytical techniques. This important resource: Contains contributions from key experts in their respective fields of study from around the globe Highlights innovative approaches in resource poor settings, and innovative approaches to combining survey and other data Includes material that is organized within the total survey error framework Presents extensive and up-to-date references throughout the book Written for students and academic survey researchers and market researchers engaged in comparative projects, this text represents a unique collaboration that features the latest methodologies and research on global comparative surveys.

A comprehensive framework for both reduction of nonresponse andpostsurvey adjustment for nonresponse This book provides guidance and support for survey statisticianswho need to develop models for postsurvey adjustment fornonresponse, and for survey designers and practitioners attemptingto reduce unit nonresponse in household interview surveys. Itpresents the results of an eight-year research program that hasassembled an unprecedented data set on respondents andnonrespondents from several major household surveys in the UnitedStates. Within a comprehensive conceptual framework of influences onnonresponse, the authors investigate every aspect of surveycooperation, from the influences of household characteristics andsocial and environmental factors to the interaction betweeninterviewers and householders and the design of the surveyitself. Nonresponse in Household Interview Surveys: * Provides a theoretical framework for understanding and studyinghousehold survey nonresponse * Empirically explores the individual and combined influences ofseveral factors on nonresponse * Presents chapter introductions, summaries, and discussions onpractical implications to clarify concepts and theories * Supplies extensive references for further study and inquiry Nonresponse in Household Interview Surveys is an important resourcefor professionals and students in survey methodology/researchmethods as well as those who use survey methods or data inbusiness, government, and academia. It addresses issues critical todealing with nonresponse in surveys, reducing nonresponse duringsurvey data collection, and constructing statistical compensationsfor the effects of nonresponse on key survey estimates.