NONRESPONSE PROBLEM IN TRAVEL SURVEYS: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION

The effects in survey sampling of nonadherence to the assumption that all elements of a selected sample provide the desired information are investigated. On the basis of a thorough survey sample that had four follow-up reminders (77 percent return rate) and a subsequent survey of nonrespondents, it is shown that substantial misrepresentations of mobile households, trip frequencies, mode-choice distributions, and certain trip purposes become evident. A number of precautions and remedies are suggested to deal with this problem in order to improve the quality of the information input used for the analysis of travel behavior. Not only is the nonresponse bias for low response rates substantially greater, but it also affects the trip structure (frequency, choice, purpose, and destination) more than is the case in a more-exhaustive survey sample. It is demonstrated that a systematic bias arises due to the underrepresentation of nonmobile persons. It is therefore essential to take steps that will increase the willingness of the nonmobile persons to respond to such surveys and that will generate more cost-effective methods to accomplish this objective. It is still necessary to aim for as large a response rate as possible, since the systematic nonresponse bias cannot be compensated for by sociodemographic weighting. A reduction in the follow-up reminders cannot be recommended.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1980/775/775-007.pdf
• Summary URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=NONRESPONSE+PROBLEM+IN+TRAVEL+SURVEYS%3A+AN+EMPIRICAL+INVESTIGATION&author=W.+Brog&author=A.+Meyburg&publication_year=1980
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Passenger Travel Demand Forecasting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Brog, Werner
  • Meyburg, Arnim H
• Conference:
  • 59th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1980-1-21 to 1980-1-25
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 34-38
• Monograph Title: Travel Demand Models: Application, Limitations, and Quantitative Methods
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 775
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accuracy; Bias (Statistics); Data collection; Frequency (Electromagnetism); Mode choice; Sampling; Surveys; Travel patterns; Trip purpose
• Old TRIS Terms: Modal selection; Response
• Subject Areas: Highways; Planning and Forecasting; I10: Economics and Administration; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00334193
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309031192
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 28 1981 12:00AM