Testing the mode effects in the Finnish consumer survey

This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

From January 2000, the data collection method of the Finnish Consumer Survey was changed from a Labour Force Survey panel design mode to an independent survey. All interviews are now carried out centrally from Statistics Finland's Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) Centre. There have been suggestions that the new survey mode has been influencing the respondents' answers. This paper analyses the extent of obvious changes in the results of the Finnish Consumer Survey. This is accomplished with the help of a pilot survey. Furthermore, this paper studies the interviewer's role in the data collection process. The analysis is based on cross-tabulations, chi-square tests and multinomial logit models. It shows that the new survey method produces more optimistic estimations and expectations concerning economic matters than the old method did.