Item nonresponse to financial questions in household surveys: An experimental study of interviewer and mode effects

Abstract

We analyze nonresponse to questions on financial items such as income and asset holdings in household surveys using data from a controlled field experiment. As part of the SAVE study, a representative survey conducted in Germany in 2001, questions on household income and financial assets were administered using different modes (personal interview vs. drop-off questionnaire). The data also allow to investigate the influence of interviewer characteristics on nonresponse. Our results are in line with predictions derived from models of survey response behavior that have been developed in survey research and social psychology.