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Web Survey Bibliography

Title A Comparison of CAPI and PAPI in a Nationally Representative Danish Health Survey
Author Ekholm, O., Hesse, U., Norlev, J., Davidsen, M.
Source European Conference on Quality and Methodology in Official Statistics, 2004
Year 2004
Access date 01.09.2004
Abstract Introduction: The Danish Health Interview Surveys have been conducted between 1987 and 2000 and, so far, data have been collected using Paper and Pencil Interviewing (PAPI). However, due to well-known benefits of Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI), a conversion from PAPI to CAPI has been discussed. Since one of the aims with the programme is to describe changes in health and morbidity over time, a prerequisite for this conversion is that the results from the two data collection methods are comparable. It is well known that a respondent does not reply to a question without thinking about why it was asked and for what purpose it will be used. The use of a computer to record answers instead of paper and pencil may have an influence on how the individual responds to a specific question. Several studies have investigated the response rates, the interview durations and the responses to questions, but no study (to our knowledge) have investigated these indicators according to gender and age. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the differences between the two modes with regard to response rates, interview durations and responses to questions concerning health, lifestyle and morbidity. Methods: Data were derived from the Health and Morbidity Survey in Denmark 2003. Four random samples of each 1,000 Danish citizens (age 18 or more) were drawn from the Civil Person Register. One of the samples was interviewed using PAPI and the other three samples were interviewed using CAPI. The interviews were carried out in the respondents’ home and were performed by a trained interviewer. Results: The response rate in the CAPI group was 64,4% and in the PAPI group the corresponding rate was 67,5%. The most obvious differences in response rates between the two modes were found among women and elderly. The average interview duration among CAPI cases was significantly (p<0.05) shorter than the average interview duration among PAPI cases (mean: 58.5 and 60.3 minutes, respectively). Differences in responses to questions were found in questions that could be apprehended as sensitive (questions concerning alcohol habits, weight and height). Furthermore, the analyses showed that CAPI responders were as likely as PAPI responders to answer “don’t know” to questions. Discussion: The results from this study indicate that women and elderly are less willing to participate when the data collection method is CAPI. These findings might be understood as an outcome of different habits and familiarity with computers. However, those who actually participated in the study seemed to apprehend the CAPI mode as more confident and anonymous than the PAPI mode and, thus, made them more willing to report “socially improper behaviour”. This study gives us no explicit answer if the CAPI or the PAPI mode is preferable in the forthcoming surveys. But the results show that a conversion from PAPI to CAPI concerning response rates and responses to questions is not unproblematic and should be one of several very important considerations (other examples are costs and a quicker turnaround) in the decision process.
Access/Direct link Homepage - conference (abstract)
Year of publication2004
Bibliographic typeConferences, workshops, tutorials, presentations
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Web survey bibliography - Denmark (31)