Research Reports and Studies

Working Papers in Survey Methodology (SM)

To communicate and document certain results from work done primarily by staff of the Statistical Research Division, we offer a number of research reports on topics in statistics, computing, and survey methodology.

This series, the Working Papers in Survey Methodology (SM) cover questionnaire design research and methodological studies to identify causes of nonsampling errors and evaluate alternative design solutions. These papers were released before August 1, 2001.

Note that the title of each paper serves as a link to the file. A link to the paper's abstract is also provided in most cases.

Please read our disclaimer.

Papers from the Research Report series can also be viewed by author and by year

To request a hardcopy of any of the papers listed below, write to Chad.Eric.Russell@census.gov. Please include your name, address, and the title of the paper in your request.

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2001

• Eye-Movement Analysis: A New Tool for Evaluating the Design of Visually Administered Instruments (Paper and Web) , (about 518KB) by Cleo D. Redline and Christopher P. Lankford (SM01/02)
  Abstract
• SIPP Advance Letter Research: Cognitive Interview Results, Implications, and Letter Recommendations , (about 286KB) by Ashley D. Landreth (SM01/01)

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2000

• The Influence of Alternative Visual Designs on Respondents' Performance with Branching Instructions in Self-Administered Questionnaires , (about 82KB) by Cleo D. Redline and Don A. Dillman (SM00/04)
• Influence of Type of Question on Skip Pattern Compliance in Self-Administered Questionnaires , (about 54KB) by Don A. Dillman, Cleo D. Redline, and Lisa R. Carley-Baxter (SM00/03)
• Making Visible the Invisible: An Experiment with Skip Instructions on Paper Questionnaires , (about 93KB) by Cleo D. Redline, Richard A. Smiley, Don A. Dillman, Lisa R. Carley-Baxter, and Arrick Jackson (SM00/02)
  Abstract
• Improving Electronic Data Collection and Dissemination through Usability Testing , (about 34KB) by Elizabeth D. Murphy, Kent H. Marquis, Richard R. Hoffman III, Lelyn D. Saner, Chanda Harris, Heather E. Tedesco, and Renate Roske-Hofstrand (SM00/01)
  Abstract

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1998

• Difficulties with Collecting Address Information from People at Mobile Food Van Stops , (about 29KB) by Richard A. Smiley (SM98/09)
  Abstract
• Teens talk: Are Adolescents Willing and Able to Answer Survey Questions? , (about 39KB) by Jennifer Hess, Jennifer M. Rothgeb, Andy L. Zukerberg, Kerry Richter, Suzanne Le Menestrel, Kristin Moore, and Elizabeth Terry (SM98/08)
  Abstract
• Developing the Survey of Program Dynamics Survey Instruments , (about 39KB) by Jennifer Hess, Jennifer M. Rothgeb, and Andy L. Zukerberg (SM98/07)
  Abstract
• Beyond Concurrent Interviews: An Evaluation of Cognitive Interviewing Techniques for Self-Administered questionnaires , (about 647KB) by Cleo D. Redline, Richard A. Smiley, Meredith A. Lee, and Theresa J. DeMaio (SM98/06)
  Abstract
• Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Defining the Basic Statistical Units in a Facility Census , (about 678KB) by Laurie Schwede (SM98/05)
  Abstract
• Human-Computer Interface Usability in a Survey Organization: Getting Started at the Census Bureau , (about 29KB) by Kent H. Marquis, Elizabeth M. Nichols, and Heather E. Tedesco (SM98/04)
  Abstract
• Improving Survey Quality through Pretesting , (about 144KB) by Theresa J. DeMaio (SM98/03)
  Abstract
• Who Knows Who Lives Here?: Within-Household Disagreements as a Source of Survey Coverage Error , (about 45KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin (SM98/01)
  Abstract

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1997

• Survey of Program Dynamics Pretest Report: Executive Summary , (about 304KB) by Jennifer Hess, Jennifer M. Rothgeb, and Andy L. Zukerberg (SM97/10)
  Abstract
• Third-Person Reporting of Hispanic Origin and Race in a Group Quarters/Establishment Census , (about 779KB) by Laurie Schwede (SM97/09)
  Abstract
• Report to the Office of Management and Budget on Third-Person Reporting of Hispanic Origin and Race in a Group/Quarters/Establishment Census , (about 2.46MB) by Laurie Schwede (SM97/08)
  Abstract
• Cognitive Evaluation of Proposed Disability Question for the 1988 Dress Rehearsal , (about 186KB) by Theresa J. DeMaio and Tracy R. Wellens (SM97/07)
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• Using Administrative Record Persons in the 1996 Community Census , (about 49KB) by Elizabeth M. Sweet (SM97/06)
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• Income Measurement Error in Surveys: A Review , (about 106KB) by Jeffrey C. Moore, Linda L. Stinson, and Edward J. Welniak, Jr. (SM97/05)
  Abstract
• Issues in the Use of a Plant-Capture Method for Estimating the Size of the Street-Dwelling Population , (about 97KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin, Eugene Laska, Kim Hopper, Morris Meisner, and Joe Wanderling (SM97/04)
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• How Do People Answer Income Questions? , (about 33KB) by Laureen H. Moyer, Dawn R. Von Thurn, Meredith A. Lee, and Naomi E. Fansler (SM97/03)
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• Better Formatting for Lower Response Burden , (about 280KB) by Andy L. Zukerberg and Meredith A. Lee (SM97/02)
  Abstract
• Improving the Navigational Qualities of the Decennial Census Short Form Requires Paying Attention to the Entire Mailing Package , (about 41KB) by Cleo R. Jenkins (SM97/01)
  Abstract

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1996

• Which is Better: Grid Listing or Grouped Questions Design for Data Collects in Establishment Surveys? , (about 282KB) by Laureen H. Moyer (SM96/10)
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• A Discussion of Data Collection via the Internet , (about 48KB) by Elizabeth M. Sweet and Chad Russell (SM96/09)
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• An Evaluation of the 1995 Test Census Integrated Coverage Measurement (ICM) Interview: Results from Behavior Coding , (about 69KB) by Nancy A. Bates and Cynthia Good (SM96/08)
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• Designing Response Scales in an Applied Setting , (about 48KB) by Wendy Davis, Tracy R. Wellens, and Theresa J. DeMaio (SM96/07)
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• Towards a U.S. Population Database from Administrative Records , (about 46KB) by Kent H. Marquis, Signe Wetrogan, and Henry Palacios (SM96/06)
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• The Effect of Questionnaire Length on Response Rates: A Review of the Literature , (about 49KB) by Karen Bogen (SM96/05)
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• Predicting Test-Result Reliability from Behavior Coding , (about 76KB) by Jennifer Hess and Eleanor Singer (SM96/04)
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• Encouraging Respondents to Use Visual Imagery to Improve Accuracy of Reporting in the American Housing Survey , (about 42KB) by Dawn R. Von Thurn and Jeffrey C. Moore (SM96/03)
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• "Who Lives Here?": The Use of Vignettes in Household Roster Research , (about 48KB) by Eleanor R. Gerber, Tracy R. Wellens, and Catherine Keeley (SM96/02)
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• Uncovering Adolescent Perceptions: Experiences Conducting Cognitive Interviews with Adolescents , (about 34KB) by Andy L. Zukerberg and Jennifer Hess (SM96/01)
  Abstract

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1995

• The Language of Self-Administered Questionnaires As Seen Through the Eyes of Respondents , (about 44KB) by Cleo R. Jenkins and Don A. Dillman (SM95/24)
• Children in Custody Questionnaire Redesign Project: Results from Phase 1 exploratory interviews , (about 308KB) by Laurie Schwede and Kathleen Ott (SM95/23)
  Abstract
• Evaluation of Model-Assisted Procedures for Stratifying Skewed Populations Using Auxiliary Data , (about 101KB) by Elizabeth M. Sweet and Richard S. Sigman (SM95/22)
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• Evaluation Results from a Pilot Test of a Computerized Self-Administered Questionnaire (CSAQ) for the 1994 Industrial Research and Development (R&D) Survey , (about 220KB) by Magdalena Ramos and Elizabeth M. Sweet (SM95/21)
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• Results from 1993 Company Organization Survey (COS) Computerized Self-Administered Questionnaire (CSAQ) Pilot Test , (about 66KB) by Magdalena Ramos and Elizabeth M. Sweet (SM95/20)
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• Clustering of Twenty-Eight Sample Areas in the Ethnographic Evaluation of the Behavioral Causes of Census Undercount for the 1990 Decennial Census , (about 34KB) by Yukiko Ellis (SM95/19)
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• The Role of Respondent Debriefing Questions in Questionnaire Development , (about 42KB) by Jennifer Hess (SM95/18)
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• Developing and Testing Race and Ethnic Origin Questions for the Current Population Survey Supplement on Race and Ethnic Origin , (about 67KB) by Manuel de la Puente and Ruth McKay (SM95/17)
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• Using Ethnography to Explain Why People are Missed or Erroneously Included by the Census: Evidence from Small Area Ethnographic Studies , (about 110KB) by Manuel de la Puente (SM95/16)
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• Literacy and the Self-Administered Form in Special Populations: A Primer , (about 46KB) by Eleanor R. Gerber and Tracy R. Wellens (SM95/15)
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• Practical Considerations in Sample Size Selection for Behavior Coding Pretests , (about 52KB) by Andy L. Zukerberg, Dawn R. Von Thurn, and Jeffrey C. Moore (SM95/14)
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• Questionnaire Development, Results, and Other Issues from the Commerce-Department-Wide Customer Satisfaction Survey , (about 41KB) by Tracy R. Wellens, Elizabeth A. Martin, and Frank Vitrano (SM95/13)
  Abstract
• Results from Telephone Debriefing Interviews: The Census Bureau's Spanish Forms Availability Test , (about 33KB) by Peter Wobus and Manuel de la Puente (SM95/12)
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• Customer Satisfaction Measurement Issues in the Federal Government , (about 58KB) by Tracy R. Wellens and Elizabeth A. Martin (SM95/11)
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• Diagnostics for Redesigning Survey Questionnaires: Measuring Work in the Current Population Survey , (about 77KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin and Anne E. Polivka (SM95/10)
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• Some Effects of Gender on the Meaning of "Work": An Empirical Examination , (about 63KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin, Jennifer Hess, and Paul M. Siegel (SM95/09)
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• The Role of Questionnaire Design in Reducing Census Coverage Error , (about 62KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin and Deborah H. Griffin (SM95/08)
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• The SIPP Measurement Quality Experiment and Beyond: Basic Results and Implementation , (about 252KB) by Kent H. Marquis (SM95/07)
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• Towards a Theory of Self-Administered Questionnaire Design , (about 67KB) by Cleo R. Jenkins and Don A. Dillman (SM95/06)
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• Respondents' Attitudes Towards a U.S. Census Voice-Recognition Questionnaire , (about 45KB) by Cleo R. Jenkins and Martin V. Appel (SM95/05)
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• Evaluating Survey Data: Making the Transition from Pretesting to Quality , (about 2.15MB) by James L. Esposito and Jennifer M. Rothgeb (SM95/04)
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• Examination of Census Omission and Erroneous Enumeration Based on 1990 Ethnographic Studies of Census Coverage , (about 79KB) by Yukiko Ellis (SM95/03)
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• Can Cognitive Information Be Collected through the Mail?: Comparing Cognitive Data Collected in Written vs. Verbal Form , (about 50KB) by Wendy Davis, Theresa J. DeMaio, and Andy L. Zukerberg (SM95/02)
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• How Do You Measure "Awareness"?: Experiences with the Lead-based Paint Survey , (about 47KB) by Susan Ciochetto and Barbara A. Haley (SM95/01)
  Abstract

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1994

• The 1992 Teacher Follow-up Survey Reinterview and Extensive Reconciliation , (about 122KB) by Cleo R. Jenkins and Angela-Jo Wetzel (SM94/08)
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• Cognitive Dynamics of Proxy Responding: The Diverging Perspectives of Actors and Observers , (about 98KB) by Norbert Schwarz and Tracy R. Wellens (SM94/07)
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• The Cognitive Evaluation of the Nativity Questions for the Current Population Survey , (about 46KB) by Tracy R. Wellens (SM94/06)
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• Hidden Assumptions: The Use of Vignettes in Cognitive Interviewing , (about 46KB) by Eleanor R. Gerber (SM94/05)
  Abstract
• An Item Nonresponse and Log-Linear Analysis of the Spanish Language Forms Availability Test , (about 47KB) by Peter Wobus and Manuel de la Puente (SM94/04)
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• Results from a Cognitive Exploration of the 1993 American Housing Survey , (about 32KB) by Dawn R. Von Thurn and Jeffrey C. Moore (SM94/03)
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• Exploring Associations between Subjective and Objective Assessments of Household Membership , (about 36KB) by Laurie Schwede and Yukiko Ellis (SM94/02)
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• Final Report of Results from Item Nonresponse Analysis for the Spanish Language Forms Availability Test , (about 77KB) by Manuel de la Puente and Peter Wobus (SM94/01)
  Abstract

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1993

• Protocol for Pretesting Demographic Surveys at the Census Bureau , (about 231KB) by Theresa J. DeMaio, Nancy Mathiowetz, Jennifer M. Rothgeb, Mary Ellen Beach, and Sharon Durant (SM93/04)
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• Research on Sources of Undercoverage Within Households , (about 709KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin and Manuel de la Puente (SM93/03)
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• Research on the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals , (about 32KB) by Theresa J. DeMaio, Susan Ciochetto, and Wendy Davis (SM93/02)
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• Combining Cognitive and Motivational Research Perspectives for the Design of Respondent-Friendly Self-Administered Questionnaires , (about 68KB) by Cleo R. Jenkins and Don A. Dillman (SM93/01)
  Abstract

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1992

• Assessment of S-night Street Enumeration in the 1990 Census , (about 53KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin (SM92/03)
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• The Use of Interviewer Debriefings to Identify Problematic Questions on Alternative Questionnaires , (about 1.08MB) by James L. Esposito and Jennifer Hess (SM92/02)
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• Redesigning the Census Long Form: Results from the 1990 Alternative Questionnaire Experiment , (about 50KB) by Theresa J. DeMaio and Nancy A. Bates (SM92/01)
  Abstract

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1991

• Development of the Proposed Revised Current Population Survey Questionnaire , (about 1.13MB) by Jennifer M. Rothgeb, Anne E. Polivka, Kathleen Creighton , and Sharon Cohany (SM91/01)
  Abstract

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1990

• Context Effects for Census Measures of Race and Hispanic Origin , (about 50KB) by Elizabeth A. Martin, Theresa J. DeMaio, and Pamela C. Campanelli (SM90/01)
  Abstract

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