|
Activity Number:
|
98
|
|
Type:
|
Contributed
|
|
Date/Time:
|
Monday, August 4, 2008 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
|
|
Sponsor:
|
Section on Survey Research Methods
|
| Abstract - #301798 |
|
Title:
|
A Study of SES Bias and Nonresponse in a Large-Scale Household Survey
|
|
Author(s):
|
Orlaith Burke*+ and Patrick E. Murphy and Richard Sinnott
|
|
Companies:
|
University College Dublin and University College Dublin and University College Dublin
|
|
Address:
|
School of Mathematical Sciences, Dublin, International, Dublin 4, Ireland
|
|
Keywords:
|
SES bias ; Non-response ; Household surveys
|
|
Abstract:
|
The widely reported phenomenon of socio-economic status (SES) bias in response rates to surveys remains one of the major problems which researchers face when dealing with survey data. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study, conducted in Ireland, which provided an unprecedented opportunity to examine the characteristics of both the non-respondents and respondents to a survey and to compare characteristics of both with the target population. Anonymized records on 41,280 participants in the Irish Quarterly National Household Survey (a nationwide survey of households conducted by the Irish Central Statistics Office) provided data for this study into SES bias. Our findings appear to contradict the perceived position on SES bias in surveys.
|
