A comparison of response rates in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the Health and Retirement Study.

TitleA comparison of response rates in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the Health and Retirement Study.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2011
AuthorsCheshire, H, Ofstedal, MBeth, Scholes, S, Schroeder, M
JournalLongit Life Course Stud
Volume2
Issue2
Pagination127-144
Date Published2011 May 01
ISSN Number1757-9597
Abstract

Survey response rates are an important measure of the quality of a survey; this is true for both longitudinal and cross-sectional surveys. However, the concept of a response rate in the context of a panel survey is more complex than is the case for a cross-sectional survey. There are typically many different response rates that can be calculated for a panel survey, each of which may be relevant for a specific purpose. The main objective of our paper is to document and compare response rates for two long-term panel studies of ageing, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in the United States. To guide our selection and calculation of response rates for the two studies, we use a framework that was developed by Peter Lynn (2005) and present several different types of longitudinal response rates for the two surveys. We discuss similarities and differences in the study designs and protocols and how some of the differences affect comparisons of response rates across the two studies.

DOI10.14301/llcs.v2i2.118
User Guide Notes

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24432049?dopt=Abstract

Endnote Keywords

Sample Design/response rates/ELSA_

Endnote ID

62700

Alternate JournalLongit Life Course Stud
Citation Key7630
PubMed ID24432049
PubMed Central IDPMC3890352
Grant ListU01 AG009740 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States