Temporary Dispositions

Temporary disposition codes are used to record the outcomes of specific contact attempts during a survey that are not final dispositions, and provide survey researchers with the status of each unit or case within the sampling pool at any given point in the field period. Temporary disposition codes provide a record of what happened during each contact attempt prior to the case ending in some final disposition and, as such, provide survey researchers with the “history” of each active case in a survey sample. Temporary dispositions function as an important quality assurance component in a survey—regardless of the mode in which the survey is conducted. They also serve as “para-data” in some methodological research studies. However, the primary purpose of temporary dispositions is to assist researchers in controlling the sampling pool during the field period.

Temporary dispositions usually are tracked through the use of an extensive system of numeric codes or categories that are assigned to each element in the sampling pool once the field period of the survey has begun. Common temporary sample dispositions include the following:

• No one at home/answering
• Busy signal (telephone survey only)
• Fast busy (telephone survey only)
• Callback
• Privacy manager (telephone survey only)
• Unable to participate
• Unavailable respondent
• Household refusal (a temporary disposition if refusal conversions are planned)
• Respondent refusal (a temporary disposition if refusal conversions are planned)

Temporary disposition codes may also be matched with “action codes” that take into consideration the status of a case at any given point in the field period and lead logically to what the next action on the case should be. Examples of these types of action codes include maximum number of call attempts and [Page 888]supervisor review. Although these action codes are important in managing a survey sample, they should not be used as temporary disposition codes.

Temporary dispositions may change often during the field period of a survey—usually as often as the status of each case in the sample changes or as interviewers work cases in the sample. For example, the temporary 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 questionnaires “returned to sender” or “post office return” 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 messages are returned to the sender after not being able to be delivered (in the case of an incorrect email address), as respondents log in to complete the Web survey, and as respondents complete the questionnaires.

Currently there is no standardized set of temporary disposition codes, and many survey firms develop their own systems. Although this is not a problem, it is important that the system of temporary codes used by an organization be compatible with the standard definitions of final case disposition codes that have been developed by survey-related professional organizations such as AAPOR (American Association for Public Opinion Research).

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