Literacy Survey

Exercise to Minimize Non-Response

(with answers)

Exercise to Minimize Non-Response

Introduction

The most effective way of achieving a high response rate is to obtain and maintain the support of the s public. Collecting information is our function and we must become attuned to public relations as more demands are placed on us and, in turn, on the public many of whom are becoming more concerned about their privacy.

Generally, respondents who are well treated will also respond well. Good respondent relations go beyond courtesy. It is important to realize that a respondent has a right to pertinent information about the survey.

The questions and answers in this exercise are designed to provide you with consistent and accurate answers to commonly posed questions by respondents. It is important to become familiar with all of the answers, so that you can reply comfortably to similar questions while conducting the interview.

Quality and Response

A high response rate is extremely important for the success of any survey. People who are seldom at home or who resist interviews may differ from those who are readily interviewed. The failure to obtain interviews from such persons can have a serious effect on the quality of the data. Therefore, obtaining the lowest possible non-response rate should be the goal of everyone involved in the survey.

Initial Contact

Introducing yourself and convincing the respondent to grant an interview are probably the most important and challenging parts of interviewing.

When you contact household respondents, it is extremely important that your voice and words convey your credibility. You should be polite, pleasant, and self-confident and at all times professional. If you sound uncertain, the respondent will detect this, and may doubt the validity of the survey. This can be overcome by assuming respondents are friendly, interested in the survey and feel that their participation is important. Assume that if respondents are not receptive, it is because they are not well informed about why you are calling.

Literacy Survey

Exercise to Minimize Non-Response (with answers)Page 2

General

Guidelines to obtain respondent co-operation

In order to succeed in convincing respondents to participate in a survey (especially a voluntary survey), it is essential that you are knowledgeable about the goals, purposes, concepts and uses of the survey. Although there is no guaranteed method of minimizing refusals, a positive attitude will encourage co-operation from all types of people.

Follow these guidelines to help you gain the respondents co-operation:

Be prepared to explain the purpose of the survey and how the data will be used.

Emphasize the importance of the respondents participation.

Assure the respondent that their information will be kept confidential and will be combined with information from other respondents to produce statistical tables.

Do not consider the reply I am too busy at the moment as a refusal. Offer to call back at a more convenient time.

Refusals & Other Non-Response

What elicits refusals?

The points listed below may elicit refusals if you mention them before you begin your interview.

Asking questions in your introduction that promote negative answers such as Can I do the interview now? Instead, you should say something like You will find the survey interesting. I can start now.

Telling the respondent that the interview will last a long time (when not asked by the respondent).

You must be convinced of the importance of the survey. This will enable you to convince respondents of its importance and ensure their participation.

If a respondent objects to providing information even after you have explained the purpose of the survey and have made an effort to gain their co-operation, thank the respondent and assign the refusal outcome code to the case.

Above all, do not allow a tough interview to influence your next interview. Do not take the refusal personal.

Some Ways to Prevent Refusals

Positive attitude

When respondents refuse to participate in a survey, it is usually because they do not have enough information about the survey or your organization, or the timing of the call is wrong. If you are well prepared, you should be able to obtain the respondents co-operation. Be sensitive to the respondent, apologize for bad timing (rather than risk a refusal), and suggest a call-back time. However, dont assume a respondent is too busy. Make arrangements to call at a more convenient time ONLY if the respondent suggests this, or the respondent refuses to participate in the survey. When you make an appointment, dont ask for a convenient time. Begin by suggesting alternative days and times (preferably times when you work, for example, I will call on Thursday evening). After you confirm an appointment, a nice touch is Im looking forward to talking with you.

Not Interested

Sometimes, the respondents refusal will not be explicit (for example, just not interested). When this happens, pick an issue (time, confidentiality, purpose or importance of the survey) and begin to discuss it. This usually has the effect of forcing the respondent to express a more specific concern, one you can deal with directly.

Speak to the selected person

Remember that you must speak to the selected respondent directly to explain the survey. Do not accept someone elses word that the selected respondent is unwilling to participate.

Listen carefully

Listen carefully. Focus on one item. Is there a reason why the respondent does not want to participate? Find common ground so you can relate to the respondent.

Start a conversation

Start a conversation. Share a joke. Let them know their time is worthwhile.

Answer the respondents question

It is important to listen to the respondent and answer ONLY what he or she has asked. Unsolicited information may bore the respondent, may be misunderstood, or may even be interpreted as justifying your request, for example you should be prepared to tell the respondent honestly the length of time the interview will take.

Exercise to Minimize Non-Response

Question 1

What is this survey about?

The Literacy Survey is based on international standards designed to provide valid, reliable and comparable measures of proficiency in the literacy and numeracy domains for the adult population of countries participating in the literacy survey. The survey also collects background information from the adult population in order to provide a profile of population characteristics related to the literacy and numeracy measures.

Question 2

Why is this survey important?

The Literacy Survey is important because analysis has shown that differences in the literacy skills that it will measure are associated with differences in the social, economic, health and education outcomes realized by individuals and societies. These differences in outcomes are large enough to have a material impact on the quality of life of individuals with low skills and have been shown to be associated with large differences in key indicators of the overall economic performance of countries.

Question 3

Why is this survey being done?

Analysis of data from other international literacy surveys shows that skill levels are more variable than only the differences in educational attainment can explain. Further, these differences have a significant impact on individual outcomes in the social, health, educational and economic domains and upon the rate of economic and social development realized by a country. Policy makers are interested in understanding what these skill differences imply for overall economic and social development and the role that skill plays in generating social inequality in the labour market and other outcomes.

Analysis of other literacy data also suggests a significant amount of skill loss is taking place in adulthood. A key goal of the Literacy Survey is to estimate the magnitude of skill loss being experienced by different age groups and other population subgroups, and to shed light on the social and economic forces that are contributing to skill loss.

Question 4

When was the last literacy survey conducted?

has never conducted a full literacy survey before. Therefore, there is now a great need to obtain this information to assist with policy making in the education sector.

Exercise to Minimize Non-Response, Continued

Question 5

Who is involved in conducting this survey?

The Literacy Survey is conducted by the of in partnership with .

Question 6

Who uses the information?

Information will be used by:

Policymakers to plan regional programs aimed at improving literacy skills (including identifying best practices from abroad);

Regional and local officials to enhance adult education and other literacy programs;

Mass media to inform the public about similarities and differences between and international adult populations; and

Business and educational organizations to better understand the skills of the labour force and plan/support programs to address skill gaps.

Question 7

How will I know if all this information will be kept confidential?

The Statistics Act guarantees that any information you give us remains strictly confidential. All employees of the of are under oath and are subject to severe penalties if they do not safeguard that confidentiality.

The of goes to extraordinary lengths