A Critical Comparison of Three Strategies of Collecting Data from Households

1967 Journal of the American Statistical Association 406 citations

Abstract

Abstract Returns and findings from three strategies of data collection are compared. Each strategy contains personal interviews, telephone interviews, and mail questionnaires in different combinations—one mainly personal, one mainly telephone, and one mainly mail. All three strategies are based on area probability samples of households in Alameda County, California. The test was made on two separate studies, with identical questionnaires used in all strategies within each study. The responses from the three strategies were found to be highly comparable. Rate of return and rate of completeness of questionnaires were high for all three; substantive findings were virtually interchangeable; and there was little difference in validity. The only important difference was cost per interview which varied considerably by strategy.

Keywords

Data collectionSignificant differencePsychologyTest (biology)Telephone interviewStatisticsRate of returnActuarial scienceEconometricsSocial psychologyMathematicsBusinessSociologyFinanceSocial science

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Year
1967
Type
article
Volume
62
Issue
319
Pages
976-989
Citations
406
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Closed

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Joseph R. Hochstim (1967). A Critical Comparison of Three Strategies of Collecting Data from Households. Journal of the American Statistical Association , 62 (319) , 976-989. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1967.10500909

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DOI
10.1080/01621459.1967.10500909