Interviewers' Voices and Refusal Rates in Telephone Surveys

As SURVEY RESEARCH uses telephone interviews more extensively, new methodological problems become apparent. One problem is response rates, which are generally lower than for face-to-face interviews. The reasons for the lower response rates are not known. Refusals in faceto-face interviews are often attributed not only to the content but to the respondent's perception of the interviewer during initial introductory phrases and impressions based on his or her appearance. In phone interviews these latter cues are absent, and auditory stimuli are the sole basis for evaluation. This implies that characteristics of voice and speech patterns provide major bases for first impressions, and may relate to acceptance or rejection of the interview. In listening to telephone interviewers at work one is impressed with their unique speech characteristics. Further, interviewers are characterized by high or low response rates, and they tend to maintain their