When and Why Does Nonresponse Occur? Comparing the Determinants of Initial Unit Nonresponse and Panel Attrition

Tiffany S. Neman

Working Papers from U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies

Abstract: Though unit nonresponse threatens data quality in both cross-sectional and panel surveys, little is understood about how initial nonresponse and later panel attrition may be theoretically or empirically distinct phenomena. This study advances current knowledge of the determinants of both unit nonresponse and panel attrition within the context of the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) panel survey, which I link with high-quality federal administrative records, paradata, and geographic data. By exploiting the SIPP’s interpenetrated sampling design and relying on cross-classified random effects modeling, this study quantifies the relative effects of sample household, interviewer, and place characteristics on baseline nonresponse and later attrition, addressing a critical gap in the literature. Given the reliance on successful record linkages between survey sample households and federal administrative data in the nonresponse research, this study also undertakes an explicitly spatial analysis of the place-based characteristics associated with successful record linkages in the U.S.

Keywords: Unit Nonresponse; Panel Attrition; Refusal; Noncontact; Interviewer Effects; Area Effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 59 pages
Date: 2023-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
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https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2023/adrm/ces/CES-WP-23-44.pdf First version, 2023 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cen:wpaper:23-44

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