Analysing the probability of attrition in a longitudinal survey

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse predictors of attrition in a major UK longitudinal survey, the Family and Children Study, and thus to contribute to a deeper understanding ofthe process and reasons for attrition as a social phenomenon. Multilevel modelling techniques are used to analyse attrition across several waves accounting for clustering of sample members within interviewers. The models are guided by current conceptual frameworks and theories of survey participation. The analysis also explores the role of the interviewer in gaining cooperation in a longitudinal study, in particular investigating effects of changes of interviewers across waves. An advantage of the data is that relatively rich information on both respondents and non-respondents is available from early waves and from interviewer observation