Interviewer continuity and effects 

SBI contributors 

Prof. Dr. Michael Bergmann, Maria Magdalena Quezada Villanueva

Project description

Conventional wisdom suggests that the same interviewers should be assigned to the same respondents in longitudinal surveys to maintain high response rates and contribute to the quality of the data collected, although this may be difficult and more costly from a survey management perspective. For example, if respondents move between waves, travel costs may outweigh the assumed advantage of higher familiarity between interviewers and respondents. Moreover, previous evidence on the impact of interviewer (dis)continuity on panel attrition, but also on data quality, is mixed, suggesting a more complex interplay between interviewer and respondent (characteristics) than usually assumed. This notion raises several open questions, e.g. what are the relevant conditions that influence the strength and direction of interviewer (dis)continuity effects on cooperation in a panel survey? What is the role of respondent (and interviewer) age? Are there patterns that can be generalized across countries in a cross-national setting? And does the interviewing style of interviewers (e.g. their persuasion strategies) influence the effect of interviewer (dis)continuity on data quality? 

Status

Active

Selected publications 

Bergmann, M., Quezada, M., & Smolić, Š. (2024, November 5). Effects of interviewer continuity on data quality in a panel survey of older respondents. Panel Survey Methods Workshop 2024 (PSMW), Utrecht. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14039053