Cultural Aspects of Total Survey Quality: Entrepreneurship Research in the Kingdom of Tonga (original) (raw)
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Survey methodology now faces an unprecedented challenge for how to collect information from samples of people that will provide scientifically defensible estimates of the characteristics of the population they represent. Many decades of research have shown that in order for such estimates to be made with known precision four major sources of error-coverage, sampling, measurement and nonresponse-must be controlled (Groves, 1989). Subsequent research has produced a great amount of knowledge on how those sample estimates are affected by different survey modes, sample sources, sample sizes, the failure of certain types of people to respond to survey requests, and how questions are structured and worded.Today's challenge stems from many considerations. Response rates for some survey modes, especially voice telephone in national surveys, have fallen precipitously and are not expected to recover (Dillman, Forthcoming). In addition, RDD landline surveys miss nearly half of all household...
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