Methods for within-household selection in self-administered push-to-web surveys: an experimental comparison

Summary

For self-administered postal push-to-web surveys in countries where only address frames are available, it is challenging to devise a method for within-household respondent selection that has both desirable statistical properties and high compliance levels. Several methods are currently used, with no consensus about their relative merits. The aim of this research is to provide much-needed evidence about the relative effectiveness of alternative methods of within-household selection in the absence of an interviewer.

Two common approaches, the any two method (non-random with potential cost advantages) and the next-birthday method (quasi-random), are compared via an experimental design. A factorial experiment was incorporated into the experimental design comparing two common styles of invitation letters. Research questions address differences between the methods in population representation, precision of estimation, and costs.

Overall, accounting for design effects, the any two method is cheaper to implement with similar survey outcomes. Little variation in precision of estimates or the distribution of answers to attitudinal questions is observed. A slightly higher proportion of younger respondents is observed in achieved sample of the next birthday group. The average educational attainment is consistent across within household selection approaches, though this appears to be moderated by the type of invitation letter used.