Getting it Right: Estimating the Share of Volunteers in Denmark
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7577/njsr.2146Keywords:
volunteering, panel attrition, participation, social desirabilityAbstract
Abraham, Helms and Presser (2009) demonstrated that people who volunteer are more likely to participate in surveys. The apparent consequence of such a pattern among respondents is that estimates of volunteering could be biased. Surveys with voluntary work as the main topic could be further biased due to the volunteers’ interest on this issue compared with non-volunteers. The article uses panel data from Denmark in order to examine the bias due to panel attrition as a special kind of nonresponse bias and its consequences for estimates of volunteering. The results show that panel attrition leads to an overestimation of the share of people who volunteer.
References
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https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfl037
Barabas, J., & Jerit, J. (2010). Are survey experiments externally valid? American Political Science Review, 104(2), 226-242.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055410000092
Callegaro, M., & DiSogra, C. (2008). Computing response metrics for online panels. Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(5), 1008-1032.
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Campanelli, P., & O'Muircheartaigh, C. (1999). Interviewers, interviewer continuity, and panel survey nonresponse. Quality and Quantity, 33(1), 59-76.
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Couper, M. P., Singer, E., & Kulka, R. A. (1998). Participation in the 1990 decennial census: Politics, privacy, pressures. American Politics Research, 26(1), 59-80.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X9802600104
Freese, J. (2006). Cognitive skills and survey nonresponse evidence from two longitudinal studies. CDE Working Papers (No. 2006-10). Madison, WI.: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fridberg, T. (2014a). Hvem er de frivillige? In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 47-68). Copenhagen: SFI.
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Fridberg, T. (2014c). Design, Metode og Data. In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 23-28). Copenhagen: SFI.
Groves, R. M., Presser, S., & Dipko, S. (2004). The role of topic interest in survey participation decisions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 68(1), 2-31.
https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfh002
Groves, R. M., Singer, E., & Corning, A. (2000). Leverage-saliency theory of survey participation. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(3), 299-308.
https://doi.org/10.1086/317990
Hauser, R. M. (2005). Survey response in the long run: The Wisconsin longitudinal study. Field Methods, 17(1), 3-29.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X04272452
Heberlein, T. A., & Baumgartner, R. (1978). Factors affecting response rates to mailed questionnaires: A quantitative analysis of the published literature. American Sociological Review, 43(4), 447-462.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2094771
Helgeson, J. G., Voss, K. E., & Terpening, W. D. (2002). Determinants of mail-survey response: Survey design factors and respondent factors. Psychology & Marketing, 19(3), 303-328.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.1054
Johnson, T. P., O'Rourke, D., Burris, J., & Owens, L. (2002). Culture and survey nonresponse. Survey Nonresponse, 55-69.
Keeter, S., Miller, C., Kohut, A., Groves, R. M., & Presser, S. (2000). Consequences of reducing nonresponse in a national telephone survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(2), 125-148.
https://doi.org/10.1086/317759
Lugtig, P. (2014). Panel attrition separating stayers, fast attriters, gradual attriters, and lurkers. Sociological Methods & Research, 43(4), 699-723.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124113520305
Pääkkönen, H. (1998). Are busy people under- or over-represented in national time budget surveys? Loisir et Société / Society and Leisure, 21(2), 573-582.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07053436.1998.10753672
Peytchev, A. (2013). Consequences of survey nonresponse. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 645(1), 88-111.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716212461748
Qvist, H. P. (2014). Ikke-vestlige indvandreres frivillige arbejde. In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 161-181). Copenhagen: SFI.
Ryu, E., Couper, M. P., & Marans, R. W. (2006). Survey incentives: Cash vs. in-kind; face-to-face vs. mail; response rate vs. nonresponse error. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 18(1), 89-106.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edh089
Sax, L. J., Gilmartin, S. K., & Bryant, A. N. (2003). Assessing response rates and nonresponse bias in web and paper surveys. Research in Higher Education, 44(4), 409-432.
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024232915870
Schoeni, R. F., Stafford, F., Mcgonagle, K. A., & Andreski, P. (2013). Response rates in national panel surveys. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 645(1), 60-87.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716212456363
Sharp, L. M., & Frankel, J. (1983). Respondent burden: A test of some common assumptions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 47(1), 36.
https://doi.org/10.1086/268765
Sheehan, K. B., & McMillan, S. J. (1999). Response variation in e-mail surveys: An exploration. Journal of Advertising Research, 39(4), 45-54.
Tourangeau, R. (2003). Cognitive aspects of survey measurement and mismeasurement. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 15(1), 3-7.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/15.1.3
Uhrig, S. C. (2008). The nature and causes of attrition in the British household panel study. ISER Working Paper Series. Retrieved from: http://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/92025
van Ingen, E., Stoop, I., & Breedveld, K. (2009). Nonresponse in the Dutch time use survey: Strategies for response enhancement and bias reduction. Field Methods, 21(1), 69-90.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X08323099
Voogt, R. J. J., & Saris, W. E. (2003). To participate or not to participate: The link between survey participation, electoral participation, and political interest. Political Analysis, 11(2), 164-179.
https://doi.org/10.1093/pan/mpg003
Abraham, K. G., Maitland, A., & Bianchi, S. M. (2006). Nonresponse in the American time use survey: Who is missing from the data and how much does it matter? Public Opinion Quarterly, 70(5), 676-703.
https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfl037
Barabas, J., & Jerit, J. (2010). Are survey experiments externally valid? American Political Science Review, 104(2), 226-242.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055410000092
Callegaro, M., & DiSogra, C. (2008). Computing response metrics for online panels. Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(5), 1008-1032.
https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfn065
Campanelli, P., & O'Muircheartaigh, C. (1999). Interviewers, interviewer continuity, and panel survey nonresponse. Quality and Quantity, 33(1), 59-76.
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004357711258
Cnaan, R. A., Jones, K. H., Dickin, A., & Salomon, M. (2011). Estimating giving and volunteering: New ways to measure the phenomena. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 40(3), 497-525.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764010365741
Couper, M. P., Singer, E., & Kulka, R. A. (1998). Participation in the 1990 decennial census: Politics, privacy, pressures. American Politics Research, 26(1), 59-80.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673X9802600104
Freese, J. (2006). Cognitive skills and survey nonresponse evidence from two longitudinal studies. CDE Working Papers (No. 2006-10). Madison, WI.: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fridberg, T. (2014a). Hvem er de frivillige? In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 47-68). Copenhagen: SFI.
Fridberg, T. (2014b). Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012. In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 29-46). Copenhagen: SFI.
Fridberg, T. (2014c). Design, Metode og Data. In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 23-28). Copenhagen: SFI.
Groves, R. M., Presser, S., & Dipko, S. (2004). The role of topic interest in survey participation decisions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 68(1), 2-31.
https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfh002
Groves, R. M., Singer, E., & Corning, A. (2000). Leverage-saliency theory of survey participation. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(3), 299-308.
https://doi.org/10.1086/317990
Hauser, R. M. (2005). Survey response in the long run: The Wisconsin longitudinal study. Field Methods, 17(1), 3-29.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X04272452
Heberlein, T. A., & Baumgartner, R. (1978). Factors affecting response rates to mailed questionnaires: A quantitative analysis of the published literature. American Sociological Review, 43(4), 447-462.
https://doi.org/10.2307/2094771
Helgeson, J. G., Voss, K. E., & Terpening, W. D. (2002). Determinants of mail-survey response: Survey design factors and respondent factors. Psychology & Marketing, 19(3), 303-328.
https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.1054
Johnson, T. P., O'Rourke, D., Burris, J., & Owens, L. (2002). Culture and survey nonresponse. Survey Nonresponse, 55-69.
Keeter, S., Miller, C., Kohut, A., Groves, R. M., & Presser, S. (2000). Consequences of reducing nonresponse in a national telephone survey. Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(2), 125-148.
https://doi.org/10.1086/317759
Lugtig, P. (2014). Panel attrition separating stayers, fast attriters, gradual attriters, and lurkers. Sociological Methods & Research, 43(4), 699-723.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124113520305
Pääkkönen, H. (1998). Are busy people under- or over-represented in national time budget surveys? Loisir et Société / Society and Leisure, 21(2), 573-582.
https://doi.org/10.1080/07053436.1998.10753672
Peytchev, A. (2013). Consequences of survey nonresponse. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 645(1), 88-111.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716212461748
Qvist, H. P. (2014). Ikke-vestlige indvandreres frivillige arbejde. In L. S. Henriksen & T. Fridberg (Eds.), Udviklingen i frivilligt arbejde 2004-2012 (Vol. 14:09, pp. 161-181). Copenhagen: SFI.
Ryu, E., Couper, M. P., & Marans, R. W. (2006). Survey incentives: Cash vs. in-kind; face-to-face vs. mail; response rate vs. nonresponse error. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 18(1), 89-106.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/edh089
Sax, L. J., Gilmartin, S. K., & Bryant, A. N. (2003). Assessing response rates and nonresponse bias in web and paper surveys. Research in Higher Education, 44(4), 409-432.
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024232915870
Schoeni, R. F., Stafford, F., Mcgonagle, K. A., & Andreski, P. (2013). Response rates in national panel surveys. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 645(1), 60-87.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716212456363
Sharp, L. M., & Frankel, J. (1983). Respondent burden: A test of some common assumptions. Public Opinion Quarterly, 47(1), 36.
https://doi.org/10.1086/268765
Sheehan, K. B., & McMillan, S. J. (1999). Response variation in e-mail surveys: An exploration. Journal of Advertising Research, 39(4), 45-54.
Tourangeau, R. (2003). Cognitive aspects of survey measurement and mismeasurement. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 15(1), 3-7.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/15.1.3
Uhrig, S. C. (2008). The nature and causes of attrition in the British household panel study. ISER Working Paper Series. Retrieved from: http://www.econstor.eu/handle/10419/92025
van Ingen, E., Stoop, I., & Breedveld, K. (2009). Nonresponse in the Dutch time use survey: Strategies for response enhancement and bias reduction. Field Methods, 21(1), 69-90.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X08323099
Voogt, R. J. J., & Saris, W. E. (2003). To participate or not to participate: The link between survey participation, electoral participation, and political interest. Political Analysis, 11(2), 164-179.
https://doi.org/10.1093/pan/mpg003
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Published
2018-02-07
How to Cite
Hermansen, J. (2018). Getting it Right: Estimating the Share of Volunteers in Denmark. Nordic Journal of Social Research, 9. https://doi.org/10.7577/njsr.2146
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