Enhancing data quality through the use of mixed mode collection

A chronic problem in the preparation of time critical estimates is the significant limitations inherent in data collection by mail. To address this issue, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has conducted an extensive 7 year research effort into the use of computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) and the computer assisted self interviewing (CASI) methods of touchtone and voice recognition self-response. This paper will summarize some of the significant results of this research covering both performance and cost data. The paper will conclude with a discussion of a large scale implementation program of these techniques for a monthly sample of 350,000 establishments.