Unable to Participate

The unable to participate survey disposition is used in all types of surveys, regardless of mode. It occurs when the selected respondent for a survey is incapable of completing the telephone or in-person interview or of completing and returning the Web-based or mail questionnaire. Cases coded with the unable to participate disposition often are considered eligible cases in calculating survey response rates.

A variety of permanent and temporary reasons may cause respondents to be unable to participate in a survey. Permanent reasons for being unable to participate in a survey include language barriers, physical or mental disabilities, and chronic severe illnesses. The sampled respondent in a telephone or in-person survey may not speak English (or another target language) well enough to complete the interview. Respondents with a mental disability may not have the cognitive capacity to complete the survey questionnaire or the interview. Being hospitalized beyond the survey's field period would also be considered a permanent reason for being unable to participate in the survey. In the case of a mail or Internet survey, being illiterate would constitute a permanent reason for being unable to participate. The unable to participate survey disposition usually is considered a final disposition in cases where there is a permanent or long-term reason for the respondent not being capable of participating in the survey.

In other cases, the reason for a respondent being unable to participate in a survey may be temporary in nature. For example, the sampled respondent might be intoxicated or might be ill or in the hospital for a brief period. In these cases, the unable to participate disposition should be considered a temporary disposition although the interviewer should do his or her best to determine how long this situation will last (even if just an estimated number of days) and note this in the case history file; then the case should be recontacted after an appropriate amount of time has passed.

It is important to note that cases in which the respondent indicates that he or she is unable to participate in the survey may be a tactic by the respondent to avoid completing the interview or the questionnaire. Although these instances are not common, cases in which it is detected should be considered indirect respondent refusals.