Suchergebnisse

This article presents an analysis of interviewer effects on the process leading to cooperation or refusal in face-to-face surveys. The focus is on the interaction between the householder and the interviewer on the doorstep, including initial reactions from the householder, and interviewer characteristics, behaviors, and skills. In contrast to most previous research on interviewer effects, which analyzed final response behavior, the focus here is on the analysis of the process that leads to cooperation or refusal. Multilevel multinomial discrete-time event history modeling is used to examine jointly the different outcomes at each call, taking account of the influence of interviewer characteristics, call histories, and sample member characteristics. The study benefits from a rich data set comprising call record data (paradata) from several face-to-face surveys linked to interviewer observations, detailed interviewer information, and census records. The models have implications for survey practice and may be used in responsive survey designs to inform effective interviewer calling strategies.

Abstract
Effective evaluation of data quality between data collected in different modes is complicated by the confounding of selection and measurement effects. This study evaluates the utility of propensity score matching (PSM) as a method that has been proposed as a means of removing selection effects across surveys conducted in different modes. Our results show large differences in estimates for the same variables between parallel face-to-face and online surveys, even after matching on standard demographic variables. Moreover, discrepancies in estimates are still present after matching between surveys conducted in the same (online) mode, where differences in measurement properties can be ruled out a priori. Our findings suggest that PSM has substantial limitations as a method for separating measurement and selection differences across modes and should be used only with caution.

Abstract
As citizens around the world become ever more reluctant to respond to survey interview requests, incentives are playing an increasingly important role in maintaining response rates. In face-to-face surveys, interviewers are the key conduit of information about the existence and level of any incentive offered and, therefore, potentially moderate the effectiveness with which an incentive translates nonproductive addresses into interviews. Yet, while the existing literature on the effects of incentives on response rates is substantial, little is currently known about the role of interviewers in determining whether or not incentives are effective. In this article, we apply multilevel models to three different face-to-face interview surveys from the United Kingdom, which vary in their sample designs and incentive levels, to assess whether some interviewers are more successful than others in using incentives to leverage cooperation. Additionally, we link the response outcome data to measures of interviewer characteristics to investigate whether interviewer variability on this dimension is systematically related to level of experience and demographic characteristics. Our results show significant and substantial variability between interviewers in the effectiveness of monetary incentives on the probability of cooperation across all three surveys. However, none of the interviewer characteristics considered are significantly associated with more or less successful interviewers.

Zentraler Vorteil von Onlinebefragungen auf mobilen Endgeräten (Tablet, Smartphone) ist ihre Allgegenwart und ihr technologisches Potenzial. Umfragemethodisch sind solche Befragungen jedoch eine Herausforderung und die Konsequenzen für die Datenqualität nicht ignorierbar.

SummaryThis study investigates the correlates of traditional contraceptive use in Moldova, a poor country in Europe with one of the highest proportions of traditional contraceptive method users. The high reliance on traditional methods, particularly in the context of sub-replacement level fertility rate, has not been systematically evaluated in demographic research. Using cross-sectional data on a sub-sample of 6039 sexually experienced women from the 2005 Moldovan Demographic and Health Survey, this study hypothesizes that (a) economic and spatial disadvantages increase the likelihood of traditional method use, and (b) high exposure to family planning/reproductive health (FP/RH) programmes increases the propensity to modern method use. Multilevel multinomial models are used to examine the correlates of traditional method use controlling for exposure to sexual activity, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and data structure. The results show that economic disadvantage increases the probability of traditional method use, but the overall effect is small. Although higher family planning media exposure decreases the reliance on traditional methods among younger women, it has only a marginal effect in increasing modern method use among older women. Family planning programmes designed to encourage women to switch from traditional to modern methods have some success – although the effect is considerably reduced in regions outside of the capital Chisinau. The study concludes that FP/RH efforts directed towards the poorest may have limited impact, but interventions targeted at older women could reduce the burden of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. Addressing differentials in accessing modern methods could improve uptake in rural areas.