Weighting Adjustments Can Help With Low Response Rates, but at What Cost to Data Quality? For 2019 Joint Statistical Meetings July 29, 2019 | Denver, CO By Chrishelle Lawrence, Mathematical Statistician

Survey Background The Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) has been conducted periodically since 1978 to collect energy characteristics, usage patterns, and household demographics from a nationally representative sample of housing units. The next RECS will shift from a mainly in-person survey to web and mail questionnaires. A national pilot RECS was conducted using web and mail questionnaires had a response rate of 40%. Chrishelle Lawrence, JSM 2019 Denver, CO, 7/29/19

Research Questions Using the RECS pilot results, how will the weights and estimates respond when The response rate is reduced by half? Only single-family homes respond? Only multi-family homes respond? The only responses come from the web? Chrishelle Lawrence, JSM 2019 Denver, CO, 7/29/19

Preparing the data Several data sets were created from the national pilot (NP) study (n = 3,654): Respondents only allowed to use the web (n = 807) Web-submitted questionnaires only (n = 2,325) Respondents in single-family homes (n = 2,870) Respondents in multi-family homes (n = 784) 50 samples using half of the respondents (ni = 1,827) 50 samples using all single-family homes and half of the multi-family homes (ni = 3,262) 50 samples using all multi-family homes and half of the single-family homes (ni = 2,219) Chrishelle Lawrence, JSM 2019 Denver, CO, 7/29/19

The Evaluation Process To get new final weights, the original design weights were adjusted for nonresponse and then post-stratified to known control totals. Division and housing unit type (single-family or multi-family) were used for both adjustments Estimates using the new final weights were compared to estimates from the national pilot study. Weights were compared to determine the impact of varying response/non-response. Chrishelle Lawrence, JSM 2019 Denver, CO, 7/29/19

Poster Presentation Session # 218769 July 30th @ 9:25 AM Chrishelle Lawrence chrishelle.lawrence@eia.gov Chrishelle Lawrence, JSM 2019 Denver, CO, 7/29/19