Errors in Interview Administered Surveys - A Framework

• Activity Number: 151
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 12, 2002 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods*
• Author(s): Lilli Japec*+
• Affiliation(s): Statistics Sweden
• Keywords: cognitive burden ; response process ; respondent participation ; interviewer-respondent interaction ; data quality ; nonresponse

Abstract

In the survey literature many different aspects of quality in interview surveys have been studied or discussed, e.g., interviewer influence on response and participation, interviewer strategies and attitudes, interviewer variances, and interviewing techniques (standardised versus less standardised methods). In some areas theories have been developed, e.g. Groves and Couper (1998) developed a theory of survey participation and Cialdini (1984) identified a number of compliance principals that can be used to improve participation in surveys. There are some more general theories concerning the respondent's cognitive process (Bradburn and Sudman, 1979) and decision processes related to item nonresponse (Beatty, 2001). The latter apply to surveys in general, regardless of mode.

The need to minimise the cognitive burden for the respondent is often emphasised by survey methodologists. Even if we decrease respondent's cognitive burden, in an interview survey that is not enough to guarantee good quality data. The interviewer and the interaction between the interviewer and the respondent are crucial for data quality. Any flaws in the interview process can diminish the quality of the data.