Unveiling Participant Level Determinants of Unit Non-Response in Business Tendency Surveys

Business Tendency Surveys (BTS) continue to be an important source of timely information on business cycles in many countries. We address quality of economic survey data by uncovering the relation between unit non-response and participant characteristics on company respectively respondent level. We use a unique, matched dataset that merges rich business tendency survey panel data with data from an exclusively conducted meta survey. Our meta information enhances the set of firm characteristics by information such as valuation of business tendency surveys or perceived response burden. We use different count data models to explain non-response count. Our models include weighted count data regressions as well as a two part hurdle model. We find that response burden, a company's survey track record, timeliness and participation mode are the strongest and most robust predictors of unit non-response. We also find a weaker negative effect of the business situation on unit response. Remarkably we do not find a significant influence of neither company size nor valuation of BTS on the propensity to respond to periodical qualitative BTS

expressed are the author’s and not necessarily those of the U.S. Census Bureau. Designing Interactive Edits for U.S. Electronic Economic Surveys and Censuses: Issues and Guidelines

The purpose of this paper is to document the U.S. Census Bureau’s experience with interactive data-editing strategies used in collecting data from business survey respondents. Such surveys are subject to many classes of unintentional human error, such as programming mistakes, omissions, miscalculations, typing errors, and interviewer misclassifications. The contribution of each class of inadvertent error to total survey error, however

Paying drug users to take part in research: Justice, human rights and business perspectives on the use of incentive payments

Paying research subjects as an incentive to participation is a widespread practice within health and social research. Where subjects are illegal drug users, this practice is often felt to raise particular ethical issues. This paper explores this question of paying drug users to take part in research from the perspective of three models: justice; human rights; and business. Issues discussed include whether cash payments are appropriate, payment amounts, whether incentives jeopardize informed consent and whether they offer good value-for-money for research funders. Some practical implications of the discussion are set out and four key components for good practice are proposed. Finally, in conclusion it is argued that the use of incentive payments in drugs research needs to be more fully and openly debated by researchers, research funders and other stakeholders. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd

The Effect of Follow-up Mailings on The Response Rate and Response Quality in Mail Surveys

mail survey, survey participation, nonresponse, differential responsiveness,