Imputation of Multiple-Response Items in SESTAT and Its Component Surveys

• Activity Number: 80
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Sunday, July 31, 2011 : 4:00 PM to 5:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Nicholas Beyler*+ and Donsig Jang and Amang Sukasih
• Companies: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. and Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
• Keywords: Hot-Deck Imputation ; Multivariate Imputation ; SESTAT ; IVEware

Abstract

The Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System is a comprehensive, integrated system of information about the characteristics of scientists and engineers in the United States. Hot-deck imputation is used to handle item nonresponse in each of the SESTAT component surveys. To maintain consistency across surveys, stepwise regression models are fit to determine control variables and the control variables are used to identify donors for hot-deck imputation. Many items in the SESTAT component surveys contain multiple, potentially-correlated questions, yet the current imputation protocol calls for the responses to these questions to be imputed separately, without accounting for the correlation structure in the outcomes. To evaluate the validity of this approach, we consider an alternative method for imputing multi-response items, where control variables are determined using the Sequential Regression Multivariate Imputation method, which sequentially fits regression models to account for correlations among the outcome variables. Imputed responses based on the current protocol are compared to those based on this alternative approach.