Making sense of Labour Force Survey response rates

William Barnes, Geoff Bright and Colin Hewat
Additional contact information
William Barnes: Office for National Statistics
Geoff Bright: Office for National Statistics
Colin Hewat: Office for National Statistics

Economic & Labour Market Review, 2008, vol. 2, issue 10, 32-42

Abstract: Making sense of Labour Force Survey response ratesThe Labour Force Survey (LFS) is thelargest continuous household surveyin the UK. It is the source of key labourmarket indicators, such as employment,unemployment, economic activity andhours worked, as well as numerousrelated measures. Each quarter, morethan 80,000 households are randomlyselected; households and individuals areinterviewed in a series of fi ve quarterlywaves. However, a proportion of thesehouseholds and individuals either cannotbe contacted or refuse to cooperate withthe survey, so the results are derived fromabout 50,000 households and 120,000individuals each quarter. These responsesare weighted on the basis of age, genderand geography in order to produce arepresentative picture of the wholepopulation.This article presents and analyses LFSresponse rates and trends and examinesthe detail of response and non-response.Further research required and potentialinterventions are also discussed.

Date: 2008
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