Interviewer Effects on Nonresponse in the European Social Survey
53 Pages Posted: 25 Aug 2010
Date Written: August 23, 2010
Abstract
In face-to-face surveys interviewers play a crucial role in making contact with and gaining cooperation from sample units. While some analyses investigate the influence of interviewers on nonresponse, they are typically restricted to single-country studies. However, interviewer training, contacting and cooperation strategies as well as survey climates may differ across countries. Combining call-record data from the European Social Survey (ESS) with data from a detailed interviewer questionnaire on attitudes and doorstep behavior we find systematic country differences in nonresponse processes, which can in part be explained by differences in interviewer characteristics, such as contacting strategies and avowed doorstep behavior.
Keywords: contact, cooperation, interviewer attitudes, doorstep behavior, interviewer questionnaire, paradata, contact data, cross-cultural research, international surveys
JEL Classification: C81, C83
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation