Reducing Survey Nonresponse Through Enhanced Administrative Cooperation: An Experience in Korea

• Activity Number: 695
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 8, 2013 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Eun Hee Choi*+ and Sun-Woong Kim and Sung Jun Hong and Sun Young Lee
• Companies: Dongguk University and Dongguk University and Dongguk University and Dongguk University
• Keywords: face-to-face interviews ; administrative systems ; call-backs ; coverage

Abstract

Nonresponse in face-to-face household surveys has been a matter of concern for several decades in many countries. The prevention or avoidance, and the special estimation techniques are the most common methods that are used to solve the problem. This study focuses on the former. In Korea, many housing units have "access impediments" that prevent strangers from contacting them. For example, about 50% of all households live in high-rise apartment buildings with locked central entrances or security guards. Moreover, the proportion of not-at-homes during the day or evening is very high and nearly a fourth of households have just one resident. It is essential, therefore, to make a special effort to bring a good response rate. In this paper, we present how the sample households were contacted based on a new administrative cooperation to reduce nonresponse in a metropolitan household survey. Also, to assess the quality of data collected through such survey process, we explore the coverage changes across various subpopulations and the differences of responses according to the number of call-backs, as well as average number of calls per response required complete the survey.