Abstract
Karen L. Goldenberg (1996) "Using
Cognitive Testing in the Design of a Business Survey
Questionnaire," Proceedings of the Section on Survey
Research Methods, American Statistical Association.
Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) staff used cognitive
testing to evaluate and refine the questionnaire for the
Current Employment Statistics (CES) Business Births Pilot
Study. The CES survey is the source of current monthly U.S.
payroll employment data. At present, it does not directly
measure employment from newly-created businesses, or
"business births." The means of selection into the
CES sample is through an employer's Unemployment Insurance
(UI) account number, and there is a lag of as much as 8
months between the time an employer obtains the account and
the time it appears in the sampling frame. To collect data
from business births near the time of their inception, BLS
developed a procedure to sample businesses shortly after they
obtain new UI accounts. The Business Births Pilot Study,
getting underway in 1996, is a telephone survey designed to
test the feasibility of differentiating new businesses from
ongoing businesses that are undergoing changes such as new
ownership, incorporation, or merger. The telephone interview
will determine whether a business is a birth, and if so, will
obtain employment data and an industry description for it.
The paper reports on the types of questionnaire problems
identified through cognitive interviews, and on serendipitous
findings about respondents' understanding of basic survey
concepts.
Last Modified Date: July 19, 2008
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