Mixed modes (MM) are receiving increased interest as a possible solution for saving costs in panel surveys, although the lasting effects on data quality are unknown. To better understand the effects of MM on panel data I will examine its impact on random and systematic error and on estimates of...

Mixed mode designs are increasingly important in surveys and large longitudinal studies are progressively moving to or considering such a design. In this context our knowledge regarding the impact of mixing modes on data quality indicators in longitu- dinal studies is sparse. This study tries to...

The quasi-simplex model makes use of at least three repeated measures of the same variable to estimate its reliability. The model has rather strict assumptions about how various parameters in the model are related to each other. Previous studies have outlined how several of the assumptions of...

The presence of an interviewer is hypothesised to motivate respondents to generate an accurate answer and reduce task difficulty, but also to reduce the privacy of the reporting situation. The prevalence of indicators of satisficing (e.g., non-differentiation, acquiescence, middle categories,...

Whether questions and answers are transmitted between interviewer and respondent by visual or aural communication can affect the responses given. We hypothesise that communication channel can affect either the respondent's understanding of the question or the tendency to satisfice. These effects...

This paper presents some preliminary findings from Wave 6 of the Innovation Panel (IP6) of Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study. Understanding Society is a major panel survey in the UK. In March 2013, the sixth wave of the Innovation Panel went into the field. IP6 used a...

This paper presents some preliminary findings from Wave 5 of the Innovation Panel (IP5) of Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study. Understanding Society is a major panel survey in the UK. In February 2012, the fifth wave of the Innovation Panel went into the field. IP5 used a...

To date, face-to-face interviewing has been the primary mode of data collection for Understanding Society. There may be advantages in instead collecting data online where possible. Primarily, this should bring a reduction in data collection costs. There are, however, concerns that response rates...

This study draws on two previously-separate strands of methodological research, one on the effect of the content of letters to sample members on response rates, and one on targeted respondent communications. We test targeted appeals in prenotification and invitation letters in a panel survey,...

We consider the effect of a wave of mixed-mode data collection (telephone and face-to-face), in an otherwise face-to-face survey, on panel attrition and the extent to which this effect is dependent on the nature of the mode-switch protocol.  Findings are reported from an experiment. One...