Monitoring Survey Response Rates and Measuring Nonresponse Bias in a Federal Statistical Agency: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

• Activity Number: 134
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 7, 2006 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Marilyn Seastrom and Aparna Sundaram*+
• Companies: National Center for Education Statistics and AIR Federal Statistics Program
• Keywords: nonresponse bias analysis ; survey response rates ; data quality ; statistical standards ; meta-analysis

Abstract

In 2005, OMB posted statistical standards in the Federal Register. Included is a requirement to conduct nonresponse bias analysis when response rates fall below established cut points. Related to this, the 2002 NCES Statistical Standards includes four standards on survey nonresponse: computation, parameters, achieving acceptable rates, and nonresponse bias analysis. NCES monitors survey response rates and nonresponse bias analyses. The focus is on the unit level response rates, as the nonresponse bias analysis requirements are tied to specific unit-level target parameters. This analysis will summarize the 3.5 years of experience at NCES monitoring response rates and related nonresponse bias analyses. Included will be a description of the approaches used in the nonresponse bias analyses and a summary of the response rates and findings from the different analyses.