OECD Workshop on Business and Consumer Tendency Surveys, Rome, 19 September 2006

1. OECD Workshop on Business and Consumer Tendency Surveys, Rome, 19 September 2006 SESSION 1 RECENTLY DEVELOPED INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR OPINION SURVEYS

2. International statistical guidelines • Wealth of existing standards – mainly on quantitative statistics • Developed jointly by I/Os (OECD, Eurostat, IMF, ILO, UN, etc) and NSIs over last 30 years • Aim to improve the quality and comparability of national and international statistics • Cover concepts / terminology, classifications, collection, transformation and presentation • Mainly domain focused – national accounts, prices, retail trade, international trade, BoP, industry, etc

3. International statistical guidelines - Access Available on UNSD website (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/progwork/)

4. International statistical guidelines - Access Available on UNSD website (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/progwork/)

5. Relationship to BTS / COS guidelines • Existing • European Commission • (1997, updated 2006) • Collection • Compilation • Presentation • Harmonised • Questionnaires • OECD • BTS Handbook (2003) • Principles on different • phases of survey cycle. • Collection (brief) • Questionnaires • Use of results

6. International guidelines and recommendations for BTS / COS • Existing • European Commission • (1997, updated 2006) • Collection • Compilation • Presentation • Harmonised • Questionnaires • OECD • BTS Handbook (2003) • Principles on different • phases of survey cycle. • Collection (brief) • Questionnaires • Use of results • Enhanced • Cover three broad sets of • issues: • - Improve survey response • rates • Minimise respondent load • Harmonisation of survey • operations and technical • design – including use of • Internet for collection • Discussed at joint EC – • OECD Workshop in Nov. • 2005 • Some recommendations • require further work

7. Enhanced BTS / COS guidelines - Response rates and respondent load • Achievement of a satisfactory response rate key factor in quality of output • Need for clear strategies to minimise non-response – relating to collection methods and communication with respondents • These also minimise respondent load • Strategies need to be carefully thought through and adequately resourced. • Embodied in 7 strategies in para. 6 of paper.

8. Enhanced BTS / COS guidelines - Harmonisation of survey operations and technical design • Recommendations outline best practice for the development of opinion surveys • Many are self evident. Provide a basis for benchmarking recommended practice and comparisons of data quality between countries. • Sample design and weighting methods – cover sample frame, sampling methods, treatment of missing data, weighting methods. • Design of internet surveys – detailed recommendations are intended as a starting point for further development of research-based principles – cover initial development, email invitation, questionnaire design, analysing results, giving feedback, security • Outlined in paras. 8-12 of paper.

9. Enhanced BTS / COS guidelines - Dissemination Will be given wider dissemination in future, for example, in: • OECD’s BTS / COS portal • Future editions of OECD’s BTS Handbook

10. Enhanced BTS / COS guidelines - Further changes Will be further supplemented by: • Inclusion of further examples of national recommended practice on specific aspects / issues covered in recommendations • Further development work and research by national agencies or new task forces

11. Enhanced BTS / COS guidelines - Uses Facilitate benchmarking and comparisons of current national practices.

12. Discussion • Further comments on enhanced standards – their usefulness, application • Suggestions on areas where further enhancements / development are required – by national agency or new task forces to work over next 12 months. • Examples of recent national practice that could be submitted for inclusion in OECD portal, etc

13. The End