There are many different schemes for classifying the final disposition of cases in a survey. Our committee reviewed more than two dozen classifications and found no two exactly alike. They distinguished between 7 and 28 basic categories. Many codes were unique to a particular study and categories often were neither clearly defined nor comparable across surveys. 

To avoid this babel of survey disposition codes, and to allow the comparable reporting of final dispositions and consistent calculation of outcome rates, AAPOR proposes a standardized classification system for final disposition of sample cases, and a series of formulas that use these codes to define and calculate the various rates.

A detailed report of the final disposition status of all sampled cases in a survey is vital for documenting a survey’s performance and determining various outcome rates. Such a record is as important as detailed business ledgers are to a bank or business. In recognition of this premise, the reports on the final disposition of cases are often referred to as accounting tables (Frankel, 1983; Madow, et. al., 1983). They are as essential to a well-documented survey as the former are to a well-organized business.