Are we keeping the people who used to stay? Changes in correlates of panel survey attrition over time

Abstract

As survey response rates decline, correlates of survey participation may also be changing. Panel studies provide an opportunity to study a rich set of correlates of panel attrition over time. We look at changes in attrition rates in the American National Election Studies from 1964 to 2004, a repeated panel survey with a two-wave pre-post election design implemented over multiple decades. We examine changes in attrition rates by three groups of variables: sociodemographic and ecological characteristics of the respondent and household, party affiliation and political and social attitudes recorded at the first interview, and paradata about the first wave interview. We find relatively little overall change in the pre-post election panel attrition rates, but important changes in demographic correlates of panel attrition over time. We also examine contact and cooperation rates from 1988 to 2004.

Social Isolation Predicts Frequent Attendance in Primary Care

“…Another drawback of Study 1 is that the response rate was relatively low, and so we cannot be confident that it is representative of the Scottish population of general practice attendees more generally. Based on previous research using similar recruitment strategies, we expect that our sample may underrepresent people who rarely attend primary care (only registered patients could be invited to participate) and overrepresent middle-aged, middle-class women (44). It is also the case that our sample is older and less healthy than a general population sample, but this is to be expected given that these characteristics are associated with attendance in general practice (45).…”

Why Does the American National Election Study Overestimate Voter Turnout?

“…The interval between the two interviews gives non-response mechanisms a second opportunity to intervene. One of the stronger predictors of attrition from the post-election wave of ANES is interest in politics (Olson and Witt 2011). Respondents agreeing to the post-election interview are likely to have higher rates of turnout than the full sample.…”

Handling Attrition in Longitudinal Studies: The Case for Refreshment Samples

“…The discrepancy could result from differences in the survey design of the APYN study compared to previous studies with attrition. For example, the APYN study consisted of 10-15 minute online interviews, whereas the ANES panel analyzed by Bartels (1999) and Olson and Witt (2011) consisted of 90-minute, face-to-face interviews. The lengthy ANES interviews have been linked to significant panel conditioning effects, in which respondents change their attitudes and behavior as a result of participation in the panel (Bartels (1999)).…”