Survey mode effects and insurance coverage estimates in the redesigned Gallup well-being index
Benjamin D Sommers1,2, Anna L Goldman1,3, Dennis Lee1
1Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Objective:
To test whether a change from a telephone to mail and Internet survey in January 2018 affected the sample composition and uninsured estimates in the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.
Data Sources:
Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index (2013-2018).
Study Design:
Regression discontinuity analysis identified changes after the survey redesign in the estimated U.S. uninsured rate (adults 18-64) and in the sample's demographic composition.
Principal Findings:
After the survey redesign, the estimated uninsured rate fell 5.3 percentage points (P < 0.001), respondents were older and disproportionately white, more likely to have a college degree, and had higher average incomes. These changes were modestly reduced by survey weights.
Conclusions:
The shift to a mail survey (with a web option) led to an older, more educated sample with fewer minorities, and a significant break in trend in the estimated uninsured rate.
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01:07What is a Mode?
There can be more than one mode in a data set if multiple values have the same highest frequency. For instance, suppose that the Statistics exam scores of 20 students are: 50; 53; 59; 59; 63; 63; 72; 72; 72; 72; 72; 76; 78; 81; 83; 84; 84; 84; 90; 93. Here, the mode is 72, as it occurs most frequently, five times.
A data set with two modes is called bimodal. For example,...