The Effect of Interview Length on Data Quality in the Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey

• Activity Number: 339
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Tuesday, August 5, 2014 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Government Statistics Section
• Author(s): Brian Nix*+
• Companies: Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Keywords: Burden Reduction ; Consumer Expenditure Survey ; Data Quality ; Response Rate ; Survey Length

Abstract

The Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey is an ongoing panel survey of U.S. households in which sample households receive the same survey in a series of four interviews, each typically lasting about an hour. Survey length is one element thought to negatively affect survey results, by increasing respondent burden. Because of the high burden associated with the survey, and the steady decrease in the survey's response rates, measures are being taken to shorten the interviews. This paper examines the effect of the interview's length on response rates, reported expenditure values, and other measures of data quality.