Page 64 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 4

STS563 Pete Jones
the process of calculating the design effects that a stratified sample will have
on labour market statistics, with a view to determine what level of clustering
and overall sample sizes will best support PCS and LMS outputs.

3. Results
Figure 3 shows that for tranche 1 of the 2017 test, the online LMS survey
achieved an online response rate of 22.5%. This is broadly in line with the
findings of other UK government surveys that have switched to online
collection. An LMS incentivisation strategy, which was also tested in tranche 1
and has since been used for subsequent tests achieved a response rate of
27.7%. Online response rates to tranches 2 and 3 achieved higher non-
incentivised online take-up, possibly the result of interviewers encouraging
households to respond online as an alternative to the face to face interview
requested in follow up. Additional follow up modes including face to face,
telephone and postal option achieved an overall response rate of 67.6% for
the mixed mode PCS survey. This was higher than the PCS/LMS integrated
version (56.8%). This may partly be due to the shorter amount of time it took
respondents to complete the PCS only version. However, it is also a
consequence of the PCS sample being highly clustered enabling interviewers
to make more repeat visits than the integrated PCS/LMS field work.

Figure 3: Results from the 2017 test tranches
Tranche 1: LMS Tranche 2: PCS Tranche 3: Integrated
online survey* survey PCS/ LMS survey

Overall mixed mode - 67.6% 56.8%
response rate
Online 22.5% 25.6% 25.4%
Face to Face - 39.3% 27.9%
Telephone - 1.0% 0.6%
Postal - 1.8% 2.9%
Average household - 9m 46s 16m 43s
completion time
Online 18m 12s 11m 54s 21m 46s
Face to Face - 7m 50s 13m 42s
Household partial complete 7.0% 12.0% 9.6%
rate (online)
Individual partial complete 8.0% 11.6% 9.2%
rate (online)

*for comparability across tranches we present results from the non-incentivised LMS survey
tested in tranche 1

The results of the 2017 test indicated that online self-completion could
support the strategy for increasing response rates to social surveys, and that

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