1. Analysis of contact forms: results from the HBS in Luxembourg and Slovenia
EU Working Group on the Household Budget Surveys (HBS) Eurostat, 12 May 2010

2. I. Luxembourg

3. Contact forms
Contact form = interviewer report on the attempt to get into contact with an household
Information available in contact forms:
Date of interview
Household respondent status: complete response/refusal/non-contact/out-of-scope (collective households)
Household address
La division 1: Produits alimentaires et boissons non alcoolisées comprend 62 positions différentes
Chaque division est constituée d’un grand nombre de positions ou d’agrégats élémentaires :

4. Description of the study (1/2)
We have collected the contact forms for the HBS operation over the whole period  more than 40,000 households
Additional information were merged to the contact form data:
Information about the interviewers: age, gender and workload (average number of interviews/month)
Information about the interviewees: age, gender and citizenship of the household’s reference person

5. Description of the study (2/2)
We end up with a dataset of more than 40,000 records containing valuable information about the interviewees, the interviewers and the survey process in itself (so-called paradata)
The aim of this analysis is mainly to compare interviewer performances with regard to nonresponse
Ideally, such an analysis could help better monitor the HBS fieldwork process

6. Nonresponse by age of the interviewer
Complete response
Non-contact
Refusal
Total
15-29
14%
39%
47%
100%
30-49
16%
30%
54%
50-64
21%
32%
65+
27%
42%
31%
18%
34%
49%
Aged interviewers (65+) appear to have less non-response than younger interviewers

7. Nonresponse by sex of the interviewer
Complete response
Non-contact
Refusal
Total F
15%
35%
50%
100% M
19%
33%
48%
18%
34%
49%
Female interviewers appear to have more non-response than male interviewers

8. Nonresponse by workload of the interviewer
Complete response
Non-contact
Refusal
Total
<50/mois
18%
33%
49%
100%
<100/mois
21%
39%
40%
<200/mois
32%
50%
>200/mois
12%
29%
59%
34%
* Average number of interviews per month
The higher the workload, the lower the noncontact and the higher the refusal. In fact, HBS interviewers in Lux are freelancers who may plan to maximise their gains: they will make more efforts to contact households but less to get them to cooperate

9. Logistic regression: non-contact

10. Logistic regression: refusal

11. Comparison gross/net samples: sex of the interviewer (1/4)
Age of the reference person
0-14
15-29
30-49
50-64
65+
Total F
Complete response 1%
10%
45%
28%
16%
100%
Non-contact 3%
13%
46%
22%
Refusal 7%
36%
26%
30%
F Total 2%
41%
25%
23% M
44%
20%
12%
18% 9%
40%
M Total
42%

12. Comparison gross/net samples: sex of the interviewer (2/4)
Gender of the reference person F M
Total
Complete response
73%
27%
100%
Non-contact
63%
37%
Refusal
69%
31%
F Total
68%
32%
64%
36%
M Total
67%
33%

13. Comparison gross/net samples: sex of the interviewer (3/4)
Citizenship of the reference person
Foreigners
Nationals
Total F
Complete response
35%
65%
100%
Non-contact
55%
45%
Refusal
41%
59%
F Total M
36%
64%
49%
51%
46%
54%
M Total

14. Comparison gross/net samples: sex of the interviewer (4/4)
Household size 1 2 3 4+
Total F
Complete response
36%
25%
16%
24%
100%
Non-contact
52%
21%
12%
15%
Refusal
43%
26%
13%
19%
F Total
45%
18% M
35%
51%
22%
11%
48%
M Total
46%

15. Net samples from female interviewers have a deficit in « aged » housholds whose reference person is aged 65 or more: they represent 16% of the net sample, but 23% of the gross sample
The problem is similar with male interviewers, but to a lesser extent: « aged » households represent 20% of the final sample and 22% of the initial sample
This show a negative interaction between female interviewers and old interviewees

16. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (1/8)
Age of the reference person
0-14
15-29
30-49
50-64
65+
Total
Complete response 1% 7%
47%
26%
19%
100%
Non-contact 2%
10%
46%
23%
20%
Refusal
39%
25%
27%
15-29 Total 8%
43%
24%
45%
28%
17% 3%
13%
18% 9%
37%
30-49 Total
40%

17. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (2/8)
Age of the reference person
0-14
15-29
30-49
50-64
65+
Total
Complete response 2% 9%
45%
24%
20%
100%
Non-contact
14%
47%
23%
Refusal
10%
41%
50-64 Total
11%
44%
19% 1% 5%
40%
31%
12%
22%
17% 7%
42%
26%
65+ Total
25%

18. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (3/8)
Gender of the reference person F M
Total
15-29
Complete response
74%
26%
100%
Non-contact
65%
35%
Refusal
70%
30%
15-29 Total
69%
31%
30-49
68%
32%
30-49 Total

19. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (4/8)
Gender of the reference person F M
Total
50-64
Complete response
71%
29%
100%
Non-contact
60%
40%
Refusal
67%
33%
50-64 Total
65%
35%
65+
72%
28%
64%
36%
69%
31%
65+ Total
68%
32%

20. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (5/8)
Citizenship of the reference person
Foreigners
Nationals
Total
15-29
Complete response
25%
75%
100%
Non-contact
41%
59%
Refusal
39%
61%
15-29 Total
38%
62%
30-49
34%
66%
51%
49%
30-49 Total
43%
57%

21. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (6/8)
Citizenship of the reference person
Foreigners
Nationals
Total
50-64
Complete response
47%
53%
100%
Non-contact
65%
35%
Refusal
59%
41%
50-64 Total
65+
31%
69%
46%
54%
36%
64%
65+ Total
39%
61%

22. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (7/8)
Household size 1 2 3 4+
Total
15-29
Complete response
29%
26%
19%
100%
Non-contact
48%
22%
12%
17%
Refusal
41%
27%
13%
15-29 Total
42%
25%
14%
30-49
33%
16%
44%
30-49 Total
24%

23. Comparison gross/net samples: age of the interviewer (8/8)
Household size 1 2 3 4+
Total
50-64
Complete response
42%
24%
14%
20%
100%
Non-contact
62%
19% 8%
11%
Refusal
56%
22%
10%
12%
50-64 Total
55%
21%
65+
32%
28%
26%
47%
23%
18%
44%
25%
13%
65+ Total
46%

24. It seems that aged interviewers (65+) perform better with « aged » households (65+) than younger interviewers
Otherwise, we can notice that the HBS sample has a deficit in foreigners and in single households (harder to get into contact with)

25. Conclusion
This simple analysis shows that the profile of an interviewer might increase non-response bias
In the Luxemburgish HBS, the most striking point concerns the interaction between the age and gender of the interviewer and the age of the interviewee: persons aged 65+ seem to be less willing to answer to young and to female interviewers
Possible solution: include paradata (e.g., age and gender of the interviewer) in the nonresponse model

26. II. Slovenia

27. Variables available
Source: HBS , Slovenia #
Variable
Description 1
id_hh
identification of household 2
year
sample year 3
quarter
sample quarter 4
interviewer
identification of interviewer 5
nuts3 6
stratum
6 strata depend on size of settlement and rate of farmer households
=1, < 2000 residents, no farmers
=2, < 2000 residents, farmers
=3, residents
=4, residents
=5, Maribor (about residents)
=6, Ljubljana ( residents, capital city) 7
sample =1 8
questionnaire
=1 if questionnaire is completed else=0 9
eligibility
=1 if eligible
=0 if not eligible
=-1 if unknown eligibility

28. 10
NR_Reason
reason for nonresponse:
=1 if refusal because of no time
=2 if refusal because of no time
=3 if refusal with no reason
=4 if refusal because other reasons
=5 if absent
=6 if unable to respond
=7 if nonresponse from other reasons
=8 if break off
=9 if unkown eligibility 11
hhSize
size of household 12
eligible
=1 if eligible 13
not_eligible
=1 if not eligible 14
unknown_eligibility
=1 if unknown eligibility 15
day_conntact1
weekday at last follow-up for 1. visit (1-Sunday,2-Monday …) 16
time_conntact1
time at last follow-up for 1. visit 17
day_conntact2
weekday at last follow-up for 2. visit (1-Sunday,2-Monday …) 18
time_conntact2
time at last follow-up for 2. visit 19
no_of_follow_up1
number of follow-up for 1. visit 20
no_of_follow_up2
number of follow-up for 2. visit 21
weekend
=1 if yes 22
diary
= 1 if diary is filled out else=0

29. 23
no_ofYears
number of years of interviewing 24
ActivityStatusA
Main activity status A
=1 employed
=0 unemployed
=. unknown 25
ActivityStatusB
Main activity status B
=2 registered unemployed
=3 others 26
sex
=1 male, =2 female 27
yearBirth
year of birth interviewer 28
education
degree of education
=1 primary school
=2 secondary school
=3 high school
=4 university 29
ageInterviewer
age of interviewer in sample year

30. Nonresponse by Education level of the interviewer
Non-contact
Others
Refusal
Response
Total
1. Primary school
10% 0%
23%
67%
100%
2. Secondary school 7%
19%
74%
3. High school 6%
22%
71%
4. University
28%
66%
21%
72%

31. Nonresponse by age group of the interviewer
Age of the interviewer
Non-contact
Others
Refusal
Response
Total
15-29 6% 0%
28%
66%
100%
30-49 8%
20%
72%
50-64
21%
73%
65+ 7%
18%
75%

32. Nonresponse by sex of the interviewer
Non-contact
Others
Refusal
Response
Total
Female 6% 0%
22%
72%
100%
Male 7%
21%

33. Nonresponse by activity status of the interviewer
Non-contact
Others
Refusal
Response
Total
employed 7% 0%
21%
71%
100%
unemployed 6%
73%
72%

34. Nonresponse by interviewing experience of the interviewer
Non-contact
Others
Refusal
Response
Total
0-2 9% 0%
29%
62%
100%
3-5 6%
20%
74%
6-9
23%
71%
10+ 7%
22%
21%
72%
*Number of years of interviewing

35. Logistic regression: non-contact

36. Logistic regression: refusal