Implementing Two-Stage Interviewing in an RDD Survey

• Activity Number: 570
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): W. Sherman Edwards*+ and J. Michael Brick and Royce Park and David Grant
• Companies: Westat and Westat and University of California, Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research and University of California, Los Angeles Center for Health Policy Research
• Keywords: Response rate ; interviewer effect ; incentive

Abstract

An experiment in the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) showed that the sample yield increased when interviewers were assigned either solely screening interviews or solely extended interviews, as compared with the standard practice of conducting screener and extended interviews on the same call (Edwards et al 2010). CHIS selects one adult from each household screened, and one child and one adolescent if present. This paper will review some further experimental outcomes of the 2-stage approach, including sequencing of the adult and child interviews and a $5 incentive mailed between the screener and adult interview. Based on the experimental results, 2-stage interviewing was phased in for the remaining CHIS sample; sample yield before and after 2-stage interviewing will be compared, and interviewer and respondent reactions discussed.