The 2008 SIPP Event History Calendar (EHC) Field Test: Respondents’ Reactions to the Interview
Anna Chan
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ABSTRACT
This paper documents research findings from the respondent debriefing reports for the 2008 SIPP Event History Calendar (EHC) field test. A total of 1,601 completed questionnaires were collected from the EHC respondents. Few respondents disliked the new EHC methods. Among respondents who had participated in both SIPP and EHC interviews, a majority of them rated both instruments favorably, but when the ratings of the two surveys differed, respondents were much more likely to give an edge to the EHC experience on both the “interesting” and “enjoyable” scales. As intended, the majority of respondents who had difficulty remembering the details of important events, and who reported having received the sort of assistance that EHC methods are supposed to provide, found that assistance helpful in reminding them when the events occurred. In general, respondents enjoyed our field representatives, who played an important role in our high survey completion rate. Respondents liked the new event history calendar methods, and found the new instrument easier to respond to. Additionally, the EHC worked well in reminding respondents about events, and many respondents welcomed the change of reference period. Over 80 percent of the respondents preferred to have fewer interviews per year and expressed a higher inclination to participate in the SIPP interview if it was only once per year instead of three times per year.
CITATION: Chan, Anna. (2009). The 2008 SIPP Event History Calendar (EHC) Field Test: Respondents’ Reactions to the Interview.Statistical Research Division Research Report Series (Survey Methodology #2009-03). U.S. Census Bureau. Available online at <http://www.census.gov/srd/papers/pdf/rsm2009-03.pdf>.
