34 research outputs found
Encouraging and maintaining participation in household surveys: the case of the Swiss household panel
'The maintenance of high participation rates is a crucial issue for panel surveys. Because losses of participants do not tend to be random, high initial and continuing participation rates are the best solution to ensure accurate representation of the target population from year to year. Proper representation of a sample is important not only to facilitate the examination of various phenomena, but also to allow for the analysis of changes in people's trajectories and circumstances, and to identify the reasons for such changes. The various strategies employed by the Swiss Household Panel to counteract attrition may be categorized according to the stage in the survey process during which they were applied: (i) the first contact, (ii) the request for participation, (iii) the interview itself, or (iv) between interview waves. This paper provides an overview of the chosen strategies used at each of these stages, the theory or arguments underlying the choices of certain strategies, and evaluations of the effects of these strategies on response rates. The focus is on communication and transmission of information as a directed means to convince potential respondents about the utility and importance of their participation.' (author's abstract)
Using field monitoring strategies to improve panel sample representativeness: Application during data collection in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)
The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) is a multidisciplinary and crossnational
face-to-face panel study of the process of population ageing. For the sixth wave of data
collection, we applied an adaptive/responsive fieldwork design in the German sub-study of SHARE
to test actual possibilities and effects of implementing targeted monitoring strategies during
fieldwork. The central aim of this design was to improve panel sample representativeness by
attempting to achieve more equal response probabilities across subgroups. However, our findings
show that we only partly met this goal. Although our adaptive design (interviewer bonus incentives
for 80+ respondents) indicated some positive effects, very old panelists still participated less than
average in the end. Furthermore, our responsive design measure (contact schedule optimization for
young, still working respondents) during fieldwork appeared to be complicated to implement within
the regular fieldwork conditions and therefore ineffective. Overall, our results are hence in line with
Tourangeau (2015), who argued that respondent characteristics that are suitable for responsive
fieldwork measures might in fact be of limited use for true bias reduction
The Swiss Household Panel 1999-2003: data for research on micro-social change
"Die Umfrage Leben in der Schweiz des Schweizer Haushalt Panels (SHP) bietet eine einzigartige longitudinale Datenbasis an. 1999 wurden 7.799 Personen von 5.074 Haushalten über ihre Lebensbedingungen befragt. Sämtliche 14-jährigen und älteren Personen, die in diesen Haushalten wohnen, sollen fortan während zehn bis fünfzehn Jahren in jährlichem Abstand befragt werden. Die Erhebung wird mittels computerunterstützten Telefoninterviews (CATI: Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing) durchgeführt. Mittlerweile konnten die ersten zwei Befragungswellen erfolgreich
realisiert werden. Anders als bei den vorwiegend auf sozioökonomischen Bedingungen ausgerichteten Panels - wie dem SOEP in Deutschland und dem BHPS in England - deckt das SHP ein breites Spektrum von Themen und sozialwissenschaftlichen Forschungsansätzen ab. Das Faktenmaterial wird ergänzt durch 'subjektive' Beurteilungen. Die Trägerschaft des SHPs besteht aus dem Schwerpunktprogramm
SPP 'Zukunft Schweiz', dem Bundesamt für Statistik und der Universität Neuchâtel." (Autorenreferat)"The Living in Switzerland survey of the Swiss Household Panel (SHP) provides a unique longitudinal database in Switzerland. In 1999, 7,799 members of 5,074 households – from a stratified random sample of the permanent resident population of Switzerland – were interviewed about their living conditions. All household members aged 14 years and older are to be interviewed annually for 10 to 15 years. The SHP survey is conducted using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). To
date, the first two waves have been carried out successfully. In comparison with panels such as the SOEP in Germany and the BHPS in Britain concentrating on socio-economic conditions, the SHP covers a broader range of topics and approaches in the social sciences. Subjective assessments complement the factual information. The SHP is a joint project run by the Swiss Priority Programme (SPP) 'Switzerland towards the Future', the Swiss Federal Statistical Office and the University of Neuchâtel." (author's abstract
Fieldwork Monitoring in Practice: Insights from 17 Large-scale Social Science Surveys in Germany
This study provides a synopsis of the current fieldwork monitoring practices of large-scale surveys in Germany.
Based on the results of a standardized questionnaire, the study summarizes fieldwork monitoring indicators
used and fieldwork measures carried out by 17 large-scale social sciences surveys in Germany. Our descriptive
results reveal that a common set of fieldwork indicators and measures exist on which the studied surveys rely.
However, it also uncovers the need for additional design-specific indicators. Finally, it underlines the importance
of a close cooperation between survey representatives and fieldwork agencies to optimize processes in
fieldwork monitoring in the German survey context. The article concludes with implications for fieldwork
practice
Improving Survey Methods Lessons from Recent Research
Invited talks were given by Jelke Bethlehem (Statistics Netherlands), Don Dillman
(Washington State University), and Peter Lynn (University of Essex). The second
conference entitled “Advancing Survey Methods” was held two years later in ..