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Activity Number: 233
Type: Topic Contributed
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 8, 2006 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
Abstract - #306613
Title: Questions People Don't Like To Answer: Wealth and Social Security Numbers
Author(s): James Dahlhamer*+ and Peter Meyer and John Pleis
Companies: National Center for Health Statistics and National Center for Health Statistics and National Center for Health Statistics
Address: 3311 Toledo Road, Hyattsville, MD, 20782,
Keywords: sensitive questions ; data quality ; item nonresponse
Abstract:

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) collects data on family income, but not wealth. Yet research has identified a strong, separate association between wealth and health status. Will people answer these sensitive questions? In addition, social security numbers are needed for linkage to databases such as the National Death Index, but suffer from high item nonresponse. Can we improve reporting? This paper presents early results from a field experiment designed to address these and other research questions. Quality indicators, such as item nonresponse and interview break-off rates, are used to evaluate a set of proposed new wealth questions, while the feasibility of collecting the last four digits of social security numbers (purported to be almost as useful and less sensitive than the nine-digit approach) is assessed. Implications for future surveys are discussed.

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