General information
The MSG; sample frame: U.S. National Territory sample cohort is characterized by the following:
| Batch code | 31 |
| Vendor | MSG |
| Sample description | Nationally representative |
| Date drawn | January 2023 |
| Date of first mailing | March 6, 2023 |
| Batch size | 20001 |
| Experiment(s) |
Participation and Attrition Calculation Method
The participation and attrition statistics reported are based solely on the household member who first completed and returned the recruitment survey and subsequently joined the UAS (the primary respondent). Any additional household members who later joined the panel (the added members) are excluded from these calculations.
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 sample | 20,001 |
| Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R) | |
| Refused to participate | 0 |
| Incomplete interviews | 49 |
| Refusals and noncontacts with unknown eligibility (U) | |
| Nothing returned | 14,150 |
| Unreachable by phone | 0 |
| Ineligible | |
| Undeliverable by mail | 1,188 |
| Responses (I) | 4,614 |
| Initial Response Rate (I/(I + R + U)) | 24.5% |
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 sample | 4,614 |
| Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R) | |
| Refused to participate | 1,375 |
| Refusals and noncontacts with unknown eligibility (U) | 0 |
| Responses (I) | 3,239 |
| Recruitment Rate (I/(I + R + U)) | 70.2% |
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 sample | 3,239 |
| Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R) | |
| Logged on to survey, did not complete any item | -1 |
| Partially completed the My Household survey | 152 |
| Did not log on | 542 |
| Responses (I) | 2,546 |
| Profile Rate (I/(I + R)) | 78.6% |
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 = 0.245 * 0.702 * 0.786 = 13.5%
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, October 16, 2026). 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 sample | 2,546 |
| Eligible refusals and noncontacts (R) | |
| Voluntary drop-out | 1,112 |
| Cannot locate | 8 |
| Refusals and noncontacts with unknown eligibility (U) | 0 |
| Ineligible | |
| Deceased | 2 |
| Ineligible for another reason | 2 |
| Responses (I) | 1,422 |
| Retention Rate (I/(I + R + U) | 55.9% |
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 = 0.245 * 0.702 * 0.786 * 0.559 = 7.6%