1 research outputs found
Estimating non-response bias in a survey on alcohol consumption: comparison of response waves
AIMS: According to 'the continuum of resistance model' late respondents
can be used as a proxy for non-respondents in estimating non-response
bias. In the present study, the validity of this model was explored and
tested in three surveys on alcohol consumption. METHODS: The three studies
collected their data by means of mailed questionnaires on alcohol
consumption whereby two studies also performed a non-response follow-up.
RESULTS: Comparisons of early respondents, late respondents and
non-respondents in one study showed some support for 'the continuum of
resistance model', although another study could not confirm this result.
Comparison of alcohol consumption between three time response groups
showed no significant linear pattern of differences between response
waves. CONCLUSIONS: The hypothesis that late respondents are more similar
to non-respondents than early respondents, could not be confirmed or
rejected. Repeated mailings are effective in obtaining a greater sample
size, but seem ineffective in improving the representativeness of alcohol
consumption surveys