What Paradata Can Tell Us About the Annual Survey of Jails

• Activity Number: 303
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Suzanne Dorinski*+ and Heather C. West
• Companies: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Census Bureau
• Keywords: paradata ; respondent burden ; online data collection

Abstract

The Census Bureau collects the Annual Survey of Jails for the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Respondents have the option to fill out a paper questionnaire or respond online. There are four versions of the questionnaire, with smaller facilities asked fewer questions. The paradata captured with online submissions enable us to tell how often respondents change their answers. We can now tell which questions pose the greatest challenges to respondents. We can also get better estimates of how long it takes a respondent to complete each version of the questionnaire. The Census Bureau has collected paradata for the Annual Survey of Jails through three annual collection cycles, so we can also see if the respondents have fewer difficulties with online reporting as they become accustomed to online reporting. Does the facility's average completion time or average number of edit messages decrease during the second or third collection cycle? The answers to these questions can help us improve the data collection process and enhance the quality of the respondent's survey experience in the future.