An econometric method of correcting for unit nonresponse bias in surveys

Anton Korinek, Johan Andre Mistiaen and Martin Ravallion ()

No 3711, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: Past approaches to correcting for unit nonresponse in sample surveys by re-weighting the data assume that the problem is ignorable within arbitrary subgroups of the population. Theory and evidence suggest that this assumption is unlikely to hold, and that household characteristics such as income systematically affect survey compliance. The authors show that this leaves a bias in the re-weighted data and they propose a method of correcting for this bias. The geographic structure of nonresponse rates allows them to identify a micro compliancefunction, which they then use to re-weight the unit-record data. An example is given for the U.S. Current Population Surveys, 1998-2004. The authors find, and correct for, a strong household income effect on response probabilities.

Keywords: Statistical&Mathematical Sciences; Economic Theory&Research; Scientific Research&Science Parks; Science Education; Environmental Economics&Policies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ecm
Date: 2005-09-01
View list of references View citations in EconPapers

Downloads: (external link)
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentSer ... ered/PDF/wps3711.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: An econometric method of correcting for unit nonresponse bias in surveys (2007)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:3711

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank
Address: 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Roula I. Yazigi ().