Fitting disposition codes to mobile phone surveys: experiences from studies in Finland, Slovenia and the USA

Authors

Mario Callegaro, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Charlotte Steeh, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
Trent D. Buskirk, St Louis University, USA
Vasja Vehovar, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Vesa Kuusela, Statistics Finland, Helsinki, Finland
Linda Piekarski, Survey Sampling Inc., Fairfield, USA

Date of this Version

May 2007

Comments

Published in J. R. Statist. Soc. A (2007) 170, Part 3, pp. 647–670.

Abstract

Blackwell Science Ltd Using mobile phones to conduct survey interviews has gathered momentum recently. However, using mobile telephones in surveys poses many new challenges. One important challenge involves properly classifying final case dispositions to understand response rates and non-response error and to implement responsive survey designs. Both purposes demand accurate assessments of the outcomes of individual call attempts. By looking at actual practices across three countries, we suggest how the disposition codes of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, which have been developed for telephone surveys, can be modified to fit mobile phones. Adding an international dimension to these standard definitions will improve survey methods by making systematic comparisons across different contexts possible.