Dependent Interviewing in the

U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program

Participation (SIPP)

Joanne Pascale and Nancy BatesDI Seminar, University of Essex

September 17, 2004

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SIPP Overview

• Multi-panel survey begun in 1983

• 4 month reference period; 9-12 waves per panel

• Measures dynamics of economic well-being among U.S. households

• Core topics each wave: demographics, work, government assistance, assets, health insurance

• Topical modules vary by wave

• Complex CAPI instrument

• 2004 Panel Wave 1: Sample size: 62,000; Response rate: 85.1%

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SIPP Methods Panel• 4-year comprehensive research vehicle

separate from but parallel to production SIPP survey

• General goal: reduce burden, improve response

• Dependent interviewing objectives:– Improve interview process, flow– Reduce attrition– Reduce item nonresponse– Reduce “seam” bias

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SIPP interview months and their associated reference period months (example):

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 Wave 1

M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 Wave 2

M1 M2 [etc.

]

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Methods Panel Design

• Expert review, analysis of existing SIPP data

• Literature review

• Qualitative research (cognitive testing, debriefing)

• 3 split-ballot field tests over 3 years

• 1st test = Wave 1; 2nd, 3rd tests = Waves 1 and 2

• 2 treatments: control and test

• Interviewers administered both treatments

• Interviewer surveys, assessments

• ~1,000 households per treatment

• Response rate = ~86%

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Dependent Interviewing Research

• Paucity of evidence in literature • Research steps:

– Commissioned formal literature review (Mathiowetz & McGonagle, 2000)

– Conducted qualitative research (Pascale & Mayer, 2003)

– Developed dependent interview methods for MPSIPP 2001 and 2002 quantitative field tests

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Types of Income Data in SIPP

• Sources of income– Jobs & businesses

– Unearned income, e.g.:• Government assistance (e.g.: food stamps, welfare)

• Government entitlements (e.g.: social security)

• Other (e.g.: child support, alimony)

– Ownership of income-producing assets, e.g.:• Stocks & bonds

• Savings accounts

• Interest-earning checking accounts

• Amount of income received from each source

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Dependent Interviewing (DI) Techniques

• Proactive: Remind and ask:‘Last time you said you received X. Do you still receive X?”

• Reactive: Ask ‘from scratch,’ offer data from prior wave if nonresponse, or to detect/resolve discrepancies

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Control DI Techniques

Remind & Re-ask W1 Q:• If reported X in W1:

‘Last time I recorded that you received/owned X. Did you receive/own X at any time between [Month 1] and today?’

• If not reported in W1: simply re-ask W1 Q

Used for unearned income and asset sources

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Control DI Techniques

Burden reduction

If R reported a job/biz in W1 ask if anything about R’s duties has changed.

If no, skip detailed questions about R’s duties and characteristics of the job/biz.

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Control DI Techniques

None• Unearned income amounts (except 2 items)• Asset amounts• Job earnings• School enrollment• Health insurance

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Control vs. Test

• DI used only for sources in control; used for both sources and amounts in test

• For sources– Control uses DI if ownership/receipt was reported

at any time during Wave 1– Test only uses DI if ownership/receipt was

reported in Month4/5 of Wave 1

• Month 5: Control does not collect ‘Month 5’ data in Wave 1; Test does

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Test DI Techniques

Remind & ask ‘still?’:

‘Last time I recorded you received X. Do you still receive X?’

Used for asset sources, health insurance

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Test DI Techniques

If source reported in M4 but not M5 of W1:Remind & ask ‘continue?’:‘Last time I recorded you received X. Did you

continue to receive X after M1 1st [of W2]?’– If yes, ask which months received– If no, probe to verify receipt really ended in M4 of

W1:• “I’m sorry to bother you about this, but it’s important for

me to get the dates just right. Are you sure X didn’t continue into [M1 of W2]?”

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Test DI Techniques

If source reported in M5:Remind & ask ‘correct?’:‘Last time I recorded you received X. Is that

correct?’ – if yes: ‘What months received in W2?’– if no: ‘Did you receive X since [M2 of W2] 1st?’

• If yes: ‘What months received in W2?’• If no: Probe to verify receipt really ended in M4 of W1

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Test DI Techniques

Ask W1 Q ‘from scratch’

If D/R: • Bring back amount provided in W1 and ask

“still sound about right?”

Used for unearned income, asset, job earnings amounts

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Test DI Techniques

Ask W1 Q ‘from scratch’

If ‘Whatever I said last time’:• Bring back amount provided in W1 and ask

‘still sound about right?’

Used for unearned income, asset, job earnings amounts

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Test DI Techniques

Corrective (mainly to catch keying errors)

• If reported in W1 re-ask W1 Q ‘from scratch’: – If new amount varies by +/-10% from W1

(unearned income amounts) or– If new amount varies by 10 fold from W1 (assets

amounts) ==> probe with interviewer note to confirm change

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Summary of DI Techniques

Topic CONTROL TEST

Jobs Burden reduction Burden reduction

Unearned income sources

Remind, re-ask W1 Depends on W1:

Remind, continue

Remind, confirm

Asset sources

Remind, re-ask W1 Remind, still

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Summary of DI Techniques

Topic CONTROL TEST

Job earnings None Nonresponse followup

Corrective

Unearned income amounts

None* Nonresponse followup

Corrective

Asset amounts None Nonresponse followup

Corrective

Health None Remind, still

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Next Steps

• Examine 2004 production data and compare to test results

• Assess feasibility of dependent interviewing under new windows system (vs. current DOS)