Ned English
NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago
Ned English is a Senior Survey Methodoligist at NORC at the University of Chicago, where he has been since 2002. His expertise lies in the interface between GIS (geographic information systems) and survey methodology, and so has been involved in research including address-based sampling (ABS), targeting rare populations, and the implimentation of the USPS delivery-sequence file (DSF) over the past ten years. Ned has a Master's degree in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor's degree in Geography from McGill University.
Response Rate Projections for Household Screeners vs.Questionnaires: Can the Same Model Be Used for Both?
Katie Archambeau
NORC at the University of Chicago
Rebecca Curtis
NORC at the University of Chicago
Ned English
NORC at the University of Chicago, Chicago
Colm O'Muircheartaigh
University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy
In the past, survey completion rates were assumed to be relatively steady across the data collection period. That assumption was soon modified to a simplistic curve, which assumed that completion rates would peak several weeks into production, then taper off until the end of data collection. Over the past few years researchers at NORC have employed field disposition histories for multiple projects in order to more accurately predict final response rates that can consider mid-project fluctuations in productivity. The National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) does this by monitoring case dispositions, including whether there has been a refusal, and comparing these cases to the final response status of cases with similar weekly dispositions in previous studies. This application is used to model final response rates for the current study, permitting more informed case releases and early warning of potential production shortfalls. In this paper, we examine whether these questionnaire response rate predictions can be applied to household screening.