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"I didn't write the questions!" - Negotiating telephone-survey questions on birth timing

Author

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  • Marian May

    (University of Tasmania)

Abstract

This paper examines interviewer-respondent interaction in the collection of demographic data. Conversation analysis (CA) makes transparent the interaction between an interviewer and 25 respondents on a question about pregnancy and birth timing in an Australian telephone survey, Negotiating the Life Course. The analysis focuses on the troubles that occur and the work interviewers do to fit respondents’ answers to the survey researcher’s categories. Interviewers are shown to act as mediators in difficult interaction, with responses often distorted by question format, the imperative of achieving an allowed response, and the need to keep the respondent in the survey.

Suggested Citation

  • Marian May, 2008. ""I didn't write the questions!" - Negotiating telephone-survey questions on birth timing," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 18(18), pages 499-530.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:18:y:2008:i:18
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2008.18.18
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hanneke Houtkoop-Steenstra, 1996. "Probing behaviour of interviewers in the standardised semi-open research interview," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 30(2), pages 205-230, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    data collection; interviews; birth timing; survey methodology;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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