Electronic data reporting - Recent developments at the Australian Bureau of Statistics

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.

This paper summarizes recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) methodological developments and other experiences with electronic data reporting (EDR). It deals particularly with the part of EDR loosely defined as 'e-forms', or screen-based direct collection instruments, where the respondent manually enters all or most of the data. In this context, the paper covers recent ABS experiences and current work, but does not revisit the historical EDR work or cover other developments in Australia outside the ABS.