Who’s asking? Interviewer effects on unit nonresponse in the Household Finance and Consumption Survey
Articles and reports: 12-001-X202500200002Description: This study examines interviewer effects on household nonresponse in three waves of the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) in Austria using a multilevel model. Addressing nonresponse at its source is crucial for maintaining survey data quality and representativeness. Our findings indicate that the variation in response behavior explained by interviewer effects decreased from about one-third in the first wave to 7% in the third wave. Effective interviewers tend to have a university degree, be married, homeowners, and have a larger workload. Additionally, higher mean wages in the household’s municipality negatively affect survey participation. These insights suggest targeted interviewer selection and training strategies to improve response rates. Issue Number: 2025002Author(s): Albacete, Nicolas; Fessler, Pirmin; Lindner, PeterMain Product:Survey Methodology
