Survey Mode and Rates of Smoke-free Homes and Support for Smoking Bans Among Single Parents in the United States in 2010-2011 and 2014-2015.

Abstract

National surveys are commonly used to monitor the rates of smoke-free homes and public attitudes toward smoking bans. The study explored the difference in the estimates corresponding to two survey modes-personal interviews and phone interviews-among single-parent households. Data from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey administered in 2010-11 and 2014-15 were used in a stratified fashion. The rate of smoke-free homes was lower for personal interviews (79% in 2010-11 and 82% in 2014-15) than for phone interviews (85% in 2010-11 and 90% in 2014-15). Even after controlling for several factors, personal interviews corresponded to lower odds of having a smoke-free home relative to phone interviews (OR=0.7, CI=0.6:0.9 in 2010-11; OR=0.5, CI = 0.4:0.6 in 2014-15). The survey mode should be included in the analyses when estimating the rates of smoke-free homes and other smoking-related attitudes, because different survey modes could be associated with different response bias.