Experiments with methods to reduce attrition in longitudinal surveys

Arbeitspapier

We conduct two large-scale randomised experiments on the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) to study methods of reducing panel attrition. The first experiment compares different strategies for tracing and maintaining contact with sample members. We find that change-of-address cards conditional on moving are most effective both in increasing response rates and in reducing fieldwork costs. The second experiment substitutes the standard between-wave Respondent Report with reports tailored for specific categories of respondents. We find that tailored reports have a positive though small effect on the number of young people completing a face-to-face interview and increase cooperation for busy people when telephone interviews are included.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: ISER Working Paper Series ; No. 2010-04

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access ; Survey Methods; Sampling Methods ; Design of Experiments: General
• Subject: attrition ; non-response ; tailoring ; respondent incentives ; longitudinal surveys ; experiments ; Befragung ; Meinungsforschung ; Wissenschaftliche Methode ; Großbritannien

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Fumagalli, Laura ; Laurie, Heather ; Lynn, Peter
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): University of Essex, Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER)
• (where): Colchester
• (when): 2010

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/65982
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET