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General information

The MSG 2016/01; sample frame: U.S. National Territory sample cohort is characterized by the following:

Batch code8
VendorMSG
Sample descriptionNationally representative
Date drawnFebruary 8, 2016
Date of first mailingMarch 1, 2016
Batch size3840
Experiment(s)Half of the sample received an envelope by Priority Mail, the other half by regular mail.

Recruitment rates

All the recruitment rates below conform to AAPOR specifications. Please note that the Initial Response Rate reported in table 1 are based on AAPOR RR1. More information about the AAPOR response rates can be found at the Aapor web site.

Mailout and phone follow up of initial survey

The initial mail survey is a standard paper and pencil mail survey, but the respondents are given the option to respond online. The response rate of this is computed like any mail survey.

Total sample3,840
Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R)
Refused to participate0
Incomplete interviews0
Refusals and noncontacts with unknown eligibility (U)
Nothing returned2,052
Unreachable by phone0
Ineligible
Undeliverable by mail480
Responses (I)1,308
Initial Response Rate (I/(I + R + U))38.9%

Consent to participate

The initial mail survey asks respondents whether they would be interested in participating in the Understanding America Study. Everyone who answers affirmatively and who receives a login code is considered to have provided consent. The recruitment rate is then calculated as the number of people who receive a login code divided by the total number of eligible responses to the mail survey.

Total sample1,308
Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R)
Refused to participate400
Refusals and noncontacts with unknown eligibility (U)0
Responses (I)908
Recruitment Rate (I/(I + R + U))69.4%

Initial participation

The profile rate (PROR) is the fraction of the individuals who consented who completed My Household and thus became a panel member.

Total sample908
Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R)
Logged on to survey, did not complete any item0
Partially completed the My Household survey15
Did not log on401
Responses (I)492
Profile Rate (I/(I + R))54.2%

Overall recruitment rate

The overall recruitment rate (ORR) is the product of the response rates computed above (initial response rate, recruitment rate, and profile rate):

ORR = IRR * RECR * PROR = 0.389 * 0.694 * 0.542 = 14.6%

Active panel

As in any panel, we monitor attrition. Because individuals often simply stop responding without actively withdrawing from the panel and without us being able to contact them, we adopt the criterion that an individual is considered to be an active panel member if they participated in any survey in the last year (counting back from today, that is, November 10, 2024). A panel member who is not an active panel member but has not been removed yet from the panel is an inactive panel member.

Total sample492
Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R)
Voluntary drop-out208
Cannot locate13
Refusals and noncontacts with unknown eligibility (U)0
Ineligible
Deceased4
Ineligible for another reason0
Responses (I)267
Retention Rate (I/(I + R + U)54.7%

Cumulative response rate

The cumulative response rate (CUMRR) up to and including retention is the product of the response rates computed above (initial response rate, recruitment rate, profile rate, and retention rate):

CUMRR = IRR * RECR * PROR * RETR = 0.389 * 0.694 * 0.542 * 0.547 = 8%