[EL] new report on non-response in surveys

[Doug Hess]

"Nonresponse in Social Science Surveys:A Research Agenda" is a new
report from National Academies Press that may interest some on this
list. Free online (pre-publication proof).

http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18293&utm_medium=etmail&utm_source=The%20National%20Academies%20Press&utm_campaign=NAP+mail+new+02.12.13&utm_content=customer&utm_term=#description

>From the report announcement: "For many household surveys in the
United States, responses rates have been steadily declining for at
least the past two decades. A similar decline in survey response can
be observed in all wealthy countries. Efforts to raise response rates
have used such strategies as monetary incentives or repeated attempts
to contact sample members and obtain completed interviews, but these
strategies increase the costs of surveys. This review addresses the
core issues regarding survey nonresponse. It considers why response
rates are declining and what that means for the accuracy of survey
results. ... The evidence to date makes it apparent that current
trends in nonresponse, if not arrested, threaten to undermine the
potential of household surveys to elicit information that assists in
understanding social and economic issues. The trends also threaten to
weaken the validity of inferences drawn from estimates based on those
surveys.  ..."

Doug