Identifying Common Verbatim Errors Through Use of Field Observations

Standardized survey interviewing dictates that interviewers read questions verbatim. Reading questions verbatim ensures that every respondent is presented survey items in the exact same way. Training interviewers on the importance of reading all questions verbatim is one important way to ensure that standardized interviewing procedures are followed during each interview. Knowing which questions interviewers are most likely to misread allows project staff to improve training programs and reduce verbatim reading errors. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey that provides national, state and substate data on substance use and mental health in the civilian, noninstitutionalized population age 12 and older. Since 2001, the NSDUH has used field observations as a tool to assess how closely field interviewers adhere to project protocols, including reading verbatim, and to subsequently improve training and field procedures. This paper reviews the verbatim errors and exact questions observed not being read verbatim. We provide a summary of the types of questions with the most verbatim errors observed on the NSDUH and offer possible explanations for these errors. The types of questions with high verbatim errors observed on the NSDUH may be indicative of common verbatim errors committed on other surveys as well.