DC-AAPOR Workshop
on Nonresponse Bias in Household Surveys

Friday, March 30
9:00am-5:00pm

Kaiser Family Foundation
1330 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005


Co-sponsored by: Abt Associates Inc., Marketing Systems Group, Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI), Westat, and the Washington Statistical Society (WSS).

The principal goal of this workshop is to address questions such as:

  • Do lower response rates inevitably lead to nonresponse bias?
  • Given increasing survey costs and increasing nonresponse rates, are probability samples becoming obsolete?
  • Who are the respondents who are missed by today’s surveys, how much does it matter, and what should we do about it?
The workshop is based on the special issue of Public Opinion Quarterly, published in January 2007. The special issue of POQ, edited by Eleanor Singer, focuses on issues that are currently occupying center stage among survey researchers. As response rates to surveys continue to decline, questions about the impact of such a decline on survey estimates assume increasing importance. Contributing authors from the special issue of POQ will summarize findings from the articles and present up-to-date information on their research in these areas.

One of the workshop’s feature presentations takes a closer look at the relationship between nonresponse rates and nonresponse bias, suggests various ways in which nonresponse can lead to biased survey estimates, and offers practical suggestions for coping with them.

Other workshop presentations deal with related issues:

  • Identifying those who are missed by surveys with specific design features
  • Estimating nonresponse bias and adjusting survey estimates for nonresponse
  • Asking whether there is a tradeoff between response rates and response quality
  • Whether the Do Not Call Registry has helped or hurt telephone survey response rates
Nonresponse has preoccupied survey researchers for at least 15 years. This workshop, which will feature the most up-to-date theory and research relevant to the topic, is essential for survey practitioners and survey methodologists.


Agenda

TimeSessionPresenter
9:00-9:15amOpening Remarks Peter Miller
9:15-9:50 Nonresponse Rates and Nonresponse Bias in Household SurveysRobert M. Groves
9:55-10:30Survey Participation, Nonresponse Bias, Measurement Error Bias, and Total BiasKristen Olson
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-11:20Gauging the Impact of Growing Nonresponse on Estimates from a National RDD Telephone Survey Scott Keeter
11:25-12:00pmExperiments in Producing Nonresponse BiasRobert M. Groves
12:05pm-12:35 Panel DiscussionFrauke Kreuter, Presenters
12:35-1:20 Lunch (on your own)
1:20-1:55 Using Community-Level Correlates to Evaluate Nonresponse Effects in a Telephone SurveyYoung Ik Cho
2:00-2:35 Nonresponse in the American Time Use Survey: Who Is Missing from the Data and How Much Does It Matter?Katharine G. Abraham
2:35-2:50 Break
2:50-3:25 Nonresponse Bias in a Dual Frame Sample of Cell and Landline NumbersJ. Michael Brick
3:30-4:05 Has the National Do Not Call Registry Helped or Hurt State-Level Response Rates?: A Time Series Analysis Michael W. Link
4:05-4:45 Panel Discussion Eleanor Singer, Presenters
4:45-5:00 Closing Remarks


Workshop Registration

The registration fee for the workshop is $65. There are a limited number of student registrations available to full-time students. Please contact Ryan Hubbard at RyanHubbard@westat.com for more information. The workshop is limited to 150 attendees. The deadline for registration and payment is Friday, March 23.

To register for the conference, please:

1. Complete the registration form on the DC-AAPOR website (http://www.dc-aapor.org/rsvpform.php), and

2. Submit payment by check or credit card.

Payment by Check: Checks can be made payable to DC-AAPOR and sent to the attention of Aaron Maitland at University of Maryland, 1218 Lefrak Hall, College Park, MD 20742.

Payment by Credit Card: PayPal processes our online credit card registrations, but a PayPal account is NOT needed to make a payment. After clicking the 'Buy Now' button below, simply click on the 'Continue' button under the 'Don't have a PayPal Account?' heading to make a payment by credit card. (You can also pay with a credit card even if you have a PayPal account.)

Please contact Adam Safir at asafir@rti.org with any questions about or problems with the website registration form or the PayPal system.


Directions to the Workshop

The workshop will be held in the Barbara Jordan Conference Center, on the second floor of the Kaiser Family Foundation's Public Affairs Center, 1330 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.

The Barbara Jordan Conference Center is less than a block from the Metro Center Metro station on the Blue/Orange and Red lines. It is also a short taxi or Metro trip from Union Station (Amtrak), and Washington National Airport (aka Reagan Airport). Parking is available in area lots ($12-$15/day). There is no parking available in Kaiser's building. The building is wheelchair accessible.


Free Access to Articles from the Special Issue of POQ

http://www.oxfordjournals.org/poq/special.html


Questions about the Workshop

Contact: Ryan Hubbard, Workshop Chair
Email: RyanHubbard@westat.com


Workshop Organizing Committee

Jennifer Beck (Census), John Boyle (SRBI), Ryan Hubbard (Westat), Jennifer Hunter Childs (Census), Aaron Maitland (NCHS), Adam Safir (RTI), Paul Schroeder (SRBI)


Workshop Sponsorship

Generous workshop sponsorship provided by Abt Associates Inc., Marketing Systems Group, Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas, Inc. (SRBI), Westat, and the Washington Statistical Society (WSS).