The Effects of Interviewer and Respondent Characteristics on Response Behavior in Panel Surveys

Unit nonresponse in the second wave of a panel survey is related to several respondent characteristics and to the interviewer of that wave. More striking is the effect of the interviewer of the first wave, who is not involved in the second interview. To analyze both interviewer effects simultaneously, the authors use a multilevel cross-classified model. In that analysis, the effect of the interviewer of the second wave almost disappears. That effect turns out to be at least partly spurious due to a correlation of both interviewer effects. The authors conclude that the interviewer of the first interview is very important regarding participation in the subsequent waves of a panel survey.

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