Wireless substitution in the U.S. and Canada: prevalence and impact on random-digit-dialed health surveys - ARCHIVED

Most major survey research organizations in the United States and Canada do not include wireless telephone numbers when conducting random-digit-dialed (RDD) household telephone surveys. In this paper, we offer the most up-to-date estimates available from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and Statistics Canada concerning the prevalence and demographic characteristics of the wireless-only population. We then present data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey on the health and health care access of wireless-only adults, and we examine the potential for coverage bias when health research is conducted using RDD surveys that exclude wireless telephone numbers.