Explaining Interviewer Effects on Survey Unit Nonresponse: A Cross-Survey Analysis

Interviewer effects on survey unit nonresponse have been detected in interviewer-­mediated surveys for many decades. This chapter provides an overview four types of interviewer characteristics that research has identified as predictors of survey unit nonresponse: socio-demographic characteristics, experience, attitudes and personalities, and skills and behaviors. In recent years, there has been an increase in research on interviewer effects on unit nonresponse related to interviewer attitudes and personality. The chapter examines interviewer effects on survey unit nonresponse by analyzing interviewer effects during the recruitment phases of four different surveys while harmonizing measurements and analytical strategies. Survey organizations tend to re-assign difficult cases to their most productive and experienced interviewers, a practice that may bias the results of analyses of interviewer effects. The chapter analyzes the amount of variance at the interviewer level in a sampled person’s propensity to be successfully contacted and a sampled person’s propensity to cooperate.