Monitoring Mode Effects in A Survey of Consumer Buying Behaviour

Abstract

In an effort to increase response rates and control survey costs, survey designers have come to increasingly consider mixed mode survey designs. However, the impact of differential administration by mode is less clear for ongoing data collection efforts that are primarily designed for a single mode of administration, where alternative modes have emerged over time upon respondent. This is the case for the Consumer Expenditures Quarterly Interview Survey, a personal visit household survey with a non-ignorable percentage of cases interviewed by telephone. This research draws on six months data to assess variation in mode of administration and evaluate the size of mode effects in key survey estimates. The results of the study suggest that mode itself matters less than does the respondent behavior typically associated with mode. While telephone interviewing may impact the quality of Consumer Expenditures data collected relative to that of personal visit interviewing, Keywords: Mode equivalence, Consumer Expenditure, mixed mode designs, Survey costs; Respondent Behaviour DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/86-02 Publication date: September 30 th 2022