A welcome and much-needed addition to the literature on survey data quality in social research, McNabb's book examines the most common sources of
nonsampling error: frame error; measurement error; response error, nonresponse error, and interviewer error. Offering the only comprehensive and non-technical treatment available, the book's focus on controlling error shows readers how to eliminate the opportunity for error to occur, and features revealing examples of past and current efforts to control the incidence and effects of nonsampling error. Most importantly, it gives readers the tools they need to understand, identify, address, and
prevent the most prevalent and difficult-to-control types of survey errors.Summary
Contents
Subject index
Chapter 7: Response Error
Response Error
Response error and frame error do not relate to how a survey is administered to respondents; they relate to who the respondents are. Hence, these errors are conceptually distinct from measurement error. … Measurement error may well be just one contributor to overall error or total error. Thus, focusing on measurement error while neglecting other types of error is an important concern. [Response error] may well overwhelm other types of error.
Madhu, Viswanathan, 2005
Broadly speaking, response error results from one or more of these events in the survey process: (1) measuring of the wrong thing, (2) incorrect or biased measurement, or (3) variability due to poorly designed survey instruments (Datka & Frankel, 1991). Measurement of the wrong things and poorly designed survey instruments are ...
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A welcome and much-needed addition to the literature on survey data quality in social research, McNabb's book examines the most common sources of
nonsampling error: frame error; measurement error; response error, nonresponse error, and interviewer error. Offering the only comprehensive and non-technical treatment available, the book's focus on controlling error shows readers how to eliminate the opportunity for error to occur, and features revealing examples of past and current efforts to control the incidence and effects of nonsampling error. Most importantly, it gives readers the tools they need to understand, identify, address, and
prevent the most prevalent and difficult-to-control types of survey errors.Summary
Contents
Subject index
Chapter 6: Measurement Error
Measurement Error
Measurement errors can have severe biasing effects on the estimation and data analysis and will often reduce the precision of the estimates and power of statistical tests. The evaluation of measurement errors in US surveys has become an important goal of national statistical agencies … as well as non-Government survey research organizations.
Paul P. Biemer and Christopher Wiesen, 2002, p. 97
The quality of all surveys depends in large part upon the ability of the researchers to collect accurate data. It is dependent upon how well or poorly a survey instrument is designed and the way the sample data collected actually represent the desired measurements of a specified population. Measurement error can occur regardless of the type of instrument or approach used—including self-administered questionnaires; diaries; ...
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