Maximizing Response for Households with Children in a Two-Phase Address-Based Sample

• Activity Number: 570
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Survey Research Methods
• Author(s): Jill Montaquila*+ and J. Michael Brick and Douglas Williams
• Companies: Westat and Westat and Westat
• Keywords: Screening ; USPS Delivery Sequence File ; embedded experiment

Abstract

Due to declines in response rates and coverage, alternatives to random digit dial sampling are being considered. One alternative is address-based sampling (ABS), but methods appropriate for rare populations have not been examined adequately. In the Fall of 2009, we conducted a pilot study to evaluate ABS, with mail as the primary mode of collection, for a rare population. The goal was to replace a periodic survey of preschoolers and school-age children that previously had been conducted using RDD. This study included a screening phase to determine a household's eligibility, followed by a Topical survey administered in eligible households. In this paper, we present the results of the pilot study that included several experimental treatments, and discuss the implications for an approach that maximizes response in a two-phase survey setting.