Paul J. Lavrakas

Accounting for Social-Desirability Bias In Survey Sampling

Advertising Research Foundation FoQ 2 Initiative Leaders George Terhanian The NPD Group, Inc., george.terhanian{at}npd.com Christopher Bacon Advertising Research Foundation, chris{at}thearf.org Gian Fulgoni comScore, Inc., gfulgoni{at}comscore.com Survey research heavily relies on

Quota Controls in Survey Research: A Test of Accuracy And Intersource Reliability in Online Samples

Advertising Research Foundation (ARF) FoQ 2 Committee Leaders Chris Bacon Advertising Research Foundation, chris{at}thearf.org Gian Fulgoni comScore, Inc., gfulgoni{at}comscore.com George Terhanian The NPD Group, Inc., george.terhanian{at}npd.com Accuracy in survey research relies on

The Use of Response Propensity Modeling (RPM) for Allocating Differential Survey Recruitment Strategies: Purpose, Rationale, and Implementation

Response Propensity Modeling (RPM) is an empirical process that identifies a multivariate statistical model to predict the likelihood (propensity) that a given element in an initial sample will cooperate with a forthcoming survey request. This predicted probability ranges from 0 to 1 and reflects an element’s unique combination of characteristics that are expected to affect the relative likelihood of obtaining a response from the element. RPM is consistent with Leverage-Salience Theory in that it is used to tailor different recruitment strategies to different sampled elements, rather than using a one-size-fits-all (OSFA) approach whereby all sampled elements receive the same recruitment strategies. The appeal of using an RPM approach to allocating differential recruitment strategies is that, in theory, it should perform better than an OSFA approach, in terms of gaining a higher overall response rate, gaining a more representative unweighted final sample, and being more cost-effective. As described here, RPM fits into a Tailored Design Method of trying to most efficaciously utilize total survey costs to reduce total survey error. We explain what we mean by RPM, compare it to past work on allocating differential recruitment strategies within an initial sample, and explain the three-stage process used to identify, implement/test, and refine the response propensity model.

The Changing Costs of Random Digital Dial Cell Phone and Landline Interviewing

Using newly collected data on recent dual frame surveys from a large number of survey organizations, this article discusses the current cost ratio of cell phone random digital dial (RDD) interviewing versus landline RDD interviewing, shows the recent trends in costs and cost ratios, and examines some of the key factors that cause variation in the cost of cell phone interviewing versus landline interviewing. While the overall cost of telephone interviewing has increased substantially over the last several decades, it is now not uncommon for a dual frame RDD (DFRDD) survey to report cell phone interviewing to be equal to or even lower in cost than landline interviewing.