Estimating Nonresponse and Response Bias

Although researchers are aware that nonresponse and response bias may compromise the accuracy of estimates from survey data, it is difficult to obtain estimates of these biases. In this article, we estimate nonresponse and response bias for a particular case—child support awards and payments. The sample of divorced resident and nonresident parents was drawn from Wisconsin court records and subsequently interviewed by telephone in 1987. The court records provide the criterion to use in estimating nonresponse and response bias. The analysis shows that those not interviewed are less likely to have awards or to pay support than participants, and the average award and average amount paid are lower for them than for survey participants. Both resident mothers and nonresident fathers overreport the amount of support owed and paid, but the bias is larger for fathers. Nonparticipation bias is greater for measures of paying support than for measures of owing support. Response bias contributes more to total nonsampling bias than does nonparticipation bias for reports of amounts of support owed and paid (including direct payments). Only for resident mothers' reports of the amount paid (omitting direct payments) is the total nonsampling bias less than 3 times the standard error.