EVALUATION OF DATA QUALITY AND REPORTING PROCESSES FOR SELECTED SURVEY ITEMS

Purpose: To determine what processes are used by respondents to report particular survey items and potential problems in reported data, and to recommend ways to collect quality data.

Accurate survey indications and estimates can only be made with accurately reported data from respondents. How respondents report data will be examined for specific survey items using cognitive interviewing and other techniques. These ongoing evaluations may be made in support of new survey questions, changes to survey questions or for ongoing program questionnaires. Objectives of these investigations will be to determine whether respondents are reporting consistently with NASS definitions and if respondents are capable of reporting desired data items accurately. Potential problems in the reporting process will be documented and recommendations for increasing data quality will be provided.