Dispositions

Sample dispositions (codes or categories used by survey researchers to track the outcome of contact attempts on individual cases in the sample) provide survey researchers with the status of each unit or case within the sampling pool and are an important quality assurance component in a survey, regardless of the mode in which the survey is conducted. Sample dispositions are used for three reasons: (1) to help the survey researcher control the sampling pool during the field period, (2) to calculate response rates, and (3) to help assess whether the sample might contain nonresponse error. Sample dispositions usually are tracked through the use of an extensive system of numeric codes or categories that are assigned to each unit in the sampling pool once the field period of the survey has begun. Common sample dispositions include the following:

• Busy (telephone survey)
• Fast busy (telephone survey)
• Callback
• Completed interview
• Household refusal
• Ineligible respondent
• Ineligible household
• Language barrier
• Nonresidential address or number (in-person, mail, and telephone surveys)
• Nonworking number (telephone survey)
• Partial interview
• Privacy manager (telephone survey)
• Respondent refusal
• Ring-no answer (telephone survey)
• Unable to participate
• Unavailable respondent
• Unpublished number (telephone survey)
• Vacant housing unit (mail and in-person surveys)

Sample dispositions usually are assigned each time a case is contacted during the field period of a survey, and final sample dispositions are assigned once the field period of a survey has been completed (and the final status of each case in the sampling pool is known). For example, the disposition code of each telephone number in the sample for a telephone survey is updated after every call that is made to the number by an interviewer. In the case of a mail survey, sample dispositions may be updated as completed survey questionnaires are returned to researchers by respondents or as the postal service brings mail “returned to sender” back to the researchers in the case of incorrect addresses or respondents who have moved. In an Internet survey, sample dispositions may be updated as email invitations are sent to individuals in the sampling pool, as email nondelivery messages are returned to the sender after not being able to be delivered (in the case of an incorrect or nonworking email address), as respondents log in to complete the Web survey, and as respondents complete the questionnaires. In an in-person household survey, sample dispositions may be updated as field interviewers visit addresses listed in the sampling frame.