Respondent Selection Methods in Household Surveys

In most of social research surveys, households form a focal point of data collection and as such are a major source of socio-demographic data. Household surveys provide a cheaper alternative to full scale enumeration for timely data and are more relevant in understanding of the social and demographic issues. In order to get results which are representative of the population, it is necessary that probability sampling procedures be followed for sampling unit selection. However, elements of bias may enter in the final stages primarily because the sampling unit is not clearly defined or the definition of sampling unit fits more than one member of the household. The “Respondent Selection Problem” is a common problem which is faced by social investigators in the field. In this paper I present a brief overview of various techniques which are used for respondent selection along with their merits and demerits. It is hoped that incorporation of such respondent selection procedures would make household surveys more probabilistic and increase the validity and the reliability of the surveys