.png)
Who Has What Information About Others: Proxy Reporting, Knowledge, and Willingness
Katherine Kenward
Research Support Services, Inc.
Eleanor Gerber
Research Support Services, Inc.
Alisu Schoua-Glusberg
Research Support Services, Inc.
Patricia Goerman
U.S. Census Bureau
Elizabeth Nichols
U.S. Census
Murrey Olmstead
RTI International
The decennial and other surveys typically collect data from households by asking a single household respondent to provide information about others who live in the dwelling. This method of enumeration assumes that the household respondent can act as an accurate proxy for all other household members and that he or she is willing to share information about all household members. This paper explores the cognitive strategies that people use when they are unaware or uncertain of the information they are being asked to provide as proxies and the extent to which it is possible to determine the quality of proxy responses in an actual enumeration. We also explore the reported willingness and/or barriers that exist when reporting for others in the household, especially those unrelated to the proxy. To explore these issues, we use data from cognitive interviews asking respondents about alternate addresses where household members may live or stay. We report what respondents think about responding for themselves and those living at the same address. Finally, the implications of the findings for the decennial census and other household surveys will be discussed.