Methods for Improving Representativeness in a Web Survey on Sexual Assault Among College Students

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Survey Methodology
• Public Health

Background:

• Campus climate surveys are crucial for understanding sexual assault prevalence.
• Methodological choices in sensitive topic surveys impact data quality.
• Field period length and incentives influence survey representativeness and estimate precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the interaction between field period length and survey incentive amount on nonresponse, sample representativeness, and estimate precision.
• To determine if a lengthy field period can mitigate issues caused by smaller incentives.
• To evaluate if robust incentives can compensate for shorter field periods.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Campus Climate Survey Validation Study (CCSVS).
• Analyzed the effects of varying field period lengths and incentive amounts.
• Examined impacts on nonresponse rates, sample representativeness, and precision of estimates.

Main Results:

• Target response rates are achievable with smaller incentives if the field period is extended.
• Extended field periods with smaller incentives can still lead to biased estimates due to lack of representativeness.
• Robust incentives with shorter field periods yield unbiased estimates but reduced precision due to lower response counts.

Conclusions:

• A lengthy field period is essential for achieving target response rates with smaller incentives.
• Robust incentives are crucial for unbiased estimates, especially with shorter field periods.
• Balancing field period length and incentive amount is critical for accurate and precise campus sexual assault survey data.