Modernizing a Survey: A Case Study with the Census of Finance Companies

• Activity Number: 190
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 2, 2010 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Government Statistics
• Author(s): Lisa Chen*+
• Companies: Federal Reserve Board
• Keywords: survey form ; form design ; nonresponse follow-up ; web survey

Abstract

The Federal Reserve Board conducts the Census of Finance Companies (formerly known as Finance Company Questionnaire) every five years. It collects information on companies that supply credit or lease financing to households or businesses. Due to the survey's voluntary nature and other factors, the response rate has been steadily declining. As a response, we have focused our efforts on updating the methodology for the 2010 survey. We have redesigned the survey form using Dillman's usability and visual principles; identified additional resources for constructing sampling frame; utilized a concurrent web survey platform; and pursued more extensive and persistent non-response follow-up activities. Preliminary findings shed light on the effectiveness of our efforts on this survey.