The 2001 SCF Editing Process

• Activity Number: 112
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 12, 2002 : 12:00 PM to 1:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods*
• Author(s): Gerhard Fries*+ and Ryan Bledsoe
• Affiliation(s): Federal Reserve Board and Federal Reserve Board
• Keywords: Editing ; Data Quality ; Coding ; Survey of Consumer Finances

Abstract

The primary goal of the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) is to provide data that accurately reflect the balance sheets of households in the United States. For a variety of reasons, the information recorded during a survey interview may deviate from what is desired: respondents may misunderstand questions, interviewers may record answers incorrectly, complex situations may sometimes fit awkwardly into the structure of the survey, etc. In an effort to improve the quality of the data, every interview is subjected to intense review using comments and other data recorded during the interview, as well as information provided by interviewers in a debriefing report required for every case. Where potential problems are detected, the data are reviewed more closely to build a case for altering the original data. Changes are made only where there is a clear preponderance of supporting information. A strong effort is made to develop rules, but when simple rules fail, decisions are guided by a review of earlier "case law" in an effort to maintain conceptual consistency. This paper provides an overview of the editing process that occurred for the 2001 SCF.