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Designing Low Cost Rapid Data Collection Systems. Arie Aharon, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Seminar on New Frontiers for Statistical Data Collection Geneva, Switzerland, 31 October – 2 November 2012. The Reason and the Necessity: Background.
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Designing Low Cost Rapid Data Collection Systems Arie Aharon, Israel Central Bureau of Statistics Seminar on New Frontiers for Statistical Data Collection Geneva, Switzerland, 31 October – 2 November 2012
The Reason and the Necessity:Background • Increase in the scope of surveys – due to Israel’s membershipin the OECD and demands by government ministries. • Demands of some of the surveys: • Need to be conducted within a short time after the date they are commissioned • Subject to rigid budgetary constraints. • The problem – each survey is uniquely “tailored”, an expensive factor that also requires considerable time. The goal: Conduct a survey rapidly at low cost.
Main Operational Elements of Every Survey • A sampling system—defining the survey population and drawing the sample • A questionnaire (developing a computerized questionnaire) • Management System - A system for managing the survey’s fieldwork • Data transmission • Personnel—interviewers and supervisors • Data entry systems—for surveys in which paper questionnaires are used
The factors that affect Survey Costs and Duration of Planning • Defining the developmental needs and demands • Development of computerized data collection systems (questionnaire and fieldwork management system) • Personnel—interviewers and supervisors
The Proposed Solution In light of the factors that affect the survey costs and the duration of survey planning, the proposed solution is: • To conduct a supplementary (hitchhiking) survey based on an existing survey. • To develop computerized generic systems.
What is a supplementary (hitchhiking) survey? • A survey based on the existing platform of another survey. • Makes use of as many elements as possible from an existing survey and applies them in the new survey.
What does this mean? • Using the same sample. • The same interviewers and supervisors • No need for additional personnel, but it does involve a larger investment of time in fieldwork • Integration with generic systems (as will be explained) • Using the same fieldwork management system. • Reducing the potentialresponse burden. The main expense is the cost of adding a new questionnaire to an existing survey.
Examples of Supplementary Surveys The Financial Literacy Survey • Supplemented to the Social Survey (operated with CAPI method). • The additional questionnaire was on paper (printed methodology). Consumer Confidence Survey • Based on the platform of participants sampled in the Social Survey (conducted with CATI method). • Using the same sample, no need for collecting demographic data, using the same telephone numbers collected in the field interview.
(continued) Monthly Labour Force Survey • A computerized system was designed to enable supplementary surveys. Health Survey • Supplementary Survey to the Quarterly Labour Force Survey(using CATI method). • A computerized system was not developed and the data was filled in on paperquestionnaire.
Generic System (Survey) A generic system is one for which templates have been developed that can be adapted to many surveys, both for CATI and CAPI methods • The system consists of several components: • A questionnaire • A system for managing fieldwork at several levels • Transmission of data with CAPI • A system of data entry from the generic questionnaires—for printed questionnaires
Goals of the Generic System • To reduce the time involved in designing a new survey. • To combine several data collection methods (CATI, CAPI, CAWI). • Uniformity in managing surveys • Establishing standard activities and processes for conducting the surveys. • Making it easier for the interviewers—they are working with similar systems. • Saving development time.
Generic System—Additional Features • The generic system is fast and economical. • Its limitation—designing complex questionnaires with data flow. • Survey management system—to combine with all methods of collection and with all types of surveys, both of households and of businesses. • Data transmission—used in CAPI surveys; the system has been applied to all of the surveys and has created standardization for all the interviewers. • Data entry from printed generic questionnaires—still under development.
Supplementary Survey and Generic System: Concluding Remarks • Effective tools for cutting costs and significantly reducing the time involved in planning surveys. • Appropriate for relatively small surveys • Supplementary surveys – length of the questionnaire (or duration of interview) • Generic – complexity of the survey • In the future this subject will be developed as well. • Supplementary Survey • Reduces the potentialresponse burden. • It is always based on a main current survey such as the Labour Force Survey or the Social Survey.
Thank You! aharon@cbs.gov.il