The Effects of Survey Presentation on Nonignorable Nonresponse and Measurement Error

每一个参与调查的请求都是以某种方式提出的。该项目包括一组实验，研究调查请求的表示如何影响无响应和测量误差。这些实验是由一种调查参与理论（显著性杠杆理论）指导的，该理论声称，人们决定是否参加一项调查是基于调查中在提出调查请求时突出的任何方面，以及他们如何评估这些特征。两个最初的实验随机改变了对调查主题和发起人的描述，对不回应倾向和报告的假设影响。在第三个实验中，调查设计特征可以调节或减少调查主题和发起人产生错误的影响。因此，项目通过实验测试产生无反应偏差和测量误差的机制，一旦这些影响被记录下来，就为调查实践者提供关于如何减少其影响的指导。虽然这项研究具有理论动机和实验控制的特点，但对联邦统计机构和更大的调查社区来说，这项工作具有重要的实际意义。有时，各调查对关键社会指标（例如强奸发生率或使用手枪自卫的频率）的估计差别很大。本项目探讨的影响可能有助于解释这些差异。此外，这项工作将a)帮助进行调查的机构预测不同的发起人何时可能获得不同的结果，b)提供关于强调单一目的的调查对无反应误差和测量误差的潜在有害影响的证据，以及c)提供有关设计特征的证据，这些特征可以减少调查对无反应误差和测量误差的影响。

Every request to take part in a survey is framed in some way. This project consists of a set of experiments that investigate how the presentation of the survey request affects nonresponse and measurement error. The experiments are guided by a theory of survey participation (the salience-leverage theory) that claims that people decide whether to take part in a survey based on whatever aspects of the survey are made salient in the presentation of the survey request and on how they evaluate those features. Two initial experiments randomly vary the description of the topic and sponsor of the survey, with hypothesized effects both on nonresponse propensities and on reporting. In the third experiment, survey design features that can mediate or reduce the error-producing influences of the survey topic and sponsor will be examined. Thus, the project experimentally tests mechanisms producing nonresponse bias and measurement errors and, once these effects have been documented, provides guidance to the survey practitioner about how to reduce their impact.While the research is theoretically motivated and features experimental control, there are important practical implications of the work for the federal statistical agencies and the larger survey community. Sometimes estimates of key social indicators (e.g., the prevalence of rape or the frequency of defensive use of handguns) vary widely across surveys. The effects explored in this project may help explain these discrepancies. In addition, this work will a) help agencies conducting surveys anticipate when different sponsors may obtain different results, b) provide evidence about potentially harmful effects on nonresponse error and measurement error of emphasizing a single purpose of a survey, and c) produce evidence regarding design features that can reduce the effects of the presentation of the survey on nonresponse and measurement error.