Dependent interviewing on ONS household surveys

Rob Bumpstead Office For National Statistics

Surveys covered in presentation

• Labour Force Survey (LFS)– Large, well established UK household survey– Using computer-assisted dependent

interviewing since 1991

• Continuous Population Survey (CPS)– Proposed new integrated survey, incorporating

LFS and other surveys using dependent interviewing

– Provisional start date January 2008

Labour Force Survey family

• Labour Force Survey (LFS)– Quarterly panel survey– Rotating panel design of 5 waves– C. 55,000 households per quarter

• Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS)

– Annual panel survey– Rotating panel design of 4 waves– C. 90,000 households per annum

How we use dependent interviewing - a variety of approaches

• QLFS– All previous responses ‘fed forward’– Majority questions proactive DI

• e.g Household roster, qualifications and employment history, travel to work, occupation and industry, earnings

– Recent time-bounded questions use reactive DI• e.g Current employment, job search, training

• ALALFS– Smaller portion of responses fed-forward

• e.g Household roster, qualifications, occupation and industry,

Why we use dependent interviewing - pros and cons

• Reduces overall measurement error by • reducing false rates of change• and misdating of status changes

• Improves interview efficiency • Reduces respondent burden

• Some increase in measurement error by• suppressing true rates of change and • encouraging cognitive satisficing

• More problematic with proxy respondents• Greater resource demands

Aims of the CPS development project

• To develop a world class modular social survey system as an integral part of the ONS modernisation programme by January 2008

• To deliver better quality, more reliable estimates at national, regional and sub-regional levels

• To produce more outputs more regularly and coherently on which government and stakeholders can better base decisions

ONS surveys for integration

• Labour Force Survey (LFS)– including annual boosts (ALALFS)

• Annual Population Survey (APS)• General Household Survey (GHS)• Expenditure & Food Survey (EFS)• Omnibus Survey (OMN)

• Scope for other surveys to join CPS after 2008

CPS main features

• A common framework for the 5 continuous household surveys on which ONS leads

• single modular survey instrument• single sample of addresses with different combinations of

modules allocated to each address• single integrated field force with interviewers able to

administer all types of interview combinations

• Formal consultation document and other information available on ONS web-site

CPS Instrument design

• A common core module of questions administered to all respondents in sample

• Topic modules of questions administered to portions of respondents in sample

• Core and topic modules combined to construct a number of different viable interview combinations

Fixed core Rotatingcore

Detailed labour market

Job search

Job history

Employment pattern

Detailedqualifications and

training

Accident

Sickness

Disability

Childcare

Ad-hocmodules

forhouse-holds

Healthand

use ofhealth

services

SmokingDrinking

HousingAd-hoc

modules forindividuals

Familyformation

Detailed income PovertyLiving

Conditions

Expenditure

Sam

ple

si z

e (

265 ,

000

ho

use

ho

l ds

)

Interview1

Interview length

Interview2

Interview3

Interview4

Interview5

• Standardise approach across CPS interview combinations and other ONS household surveys

• Development of more scripted proactive dependent interviewing instruments

• Development of more automated reactive dependent interviewing instruments

Some issues in dependent interviewing under consideration at ONS

Dependent interviewing on ONS household surveys

Any Questions ?

www.statistics.gov.uk/cps