Telephone sampling bias in surveying disability

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Survey Methodology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Disability studies require robust data collection methods to capture diverse populations.
• Telephone interviewing offers potential for cost-effectiveness and timeliness in large-scale surveys.
• Assessing potential biases, such as those from non-telephone households, is crucial for data validity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability of telephone interviewing for the California Disability Survey.
• To determine the feasibility of obtaining subgroup estimates, policy-relevant information, and geographically specific data.
• To assess and quantify the bias introduced by excluding non-telephone households.

Main Methods:

• Conducted the California Disability Survey using telephone interviewing.
• Employed a large sample size and a complex survey instrument.
• Developed and applied a weighting method to adjust for potential biases.

Main Results:

• Telephone interviewing proved effective for meeting survey objectives, including subgroup estimation and geographic data collection.
• The method allowed for the collection of information relevant to policy and rehabilitation planning.
• Exclusion of non-telephone households introduced only minor biases in estimates for the total working-age population.

Conclusions:

• Telephone interviewing is a viable and efficient method for conducting comprehensive disability surveys.
• The approach facilitates the collection of data critical for policy development and program planning.
• Weighting adjustments can effectively mitigate biases from non-telephone household exclusion, ensuring reliable estimates.