IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/glodps/605.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The impact of computer-assisted personal interviewing on survey duration, quality, and cost: Evidence from the Viet Nam Labor Force Survey

Author

Listed:
  • Rao, Lakshman Nagraj
  • Gentile, Elisabetta
  • Pipon, Dave
  • Roque, Jude David
  • Thuy, Vu Thi Thu

Abstract

We use a randomized field experiment to estimate the effect of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) on interview duration, number of errors, respondent perceptions, and cost. During Quarter 3 of the 2017 Labor Force Survey data collection for Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 15 households were randomly selected and interviewed using pencil-and-paper interviewing (PAPI), while another 15 households were randomly selected and interviewed using CAPI within each of a total of 180 sample enumeration areas. On average, CAPI interviews lasted 9.4 minutes less and had 0.8 less errors per questionnaire relative to PAPI. Respondents were more likely to perceive interview duration as long or very long when the enumerator was female or educated to college level or above, which is contrary to our experimental findings. Finally, the break-even number of interviews that make CAPI cost-effective is 1,769, which is lower than prior estimates and reflects the rapidly decreasing cost of technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Rao, Lakshman Nagraj & Gentile, Elisabetta & Pipon, Dave & Roque, Jude David & Thuy, Vu Thi Thu, 2020. "The impact of computer-assisted personal interviewing on survey duration, quality, and cost: Evidence from the Viet Nam Labor Force Survey," GLO Discussion Paper Series 605, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:605
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/222414/1/GLO-DP-0605.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dillon, Andrew & Rao, Lakshman Nagraj, 2018. "Land Measurement Bias: Comparisons from Global Positioning System, Self-Reports, and Satellite Data," ADB Economics Working Paper Series 540, Asian Development Bank.
    2. Susan Godlonton & Manuel A Hernandez & Mike Murphy, 2018. "Anchoring Bias in Recall Data: Evidence from Central America," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 100(2), pages 479-501.
    3. Schräpler, Jörg-Peter & Schupp, Jürgen & Wagner, Gert G., 2010. "Changing from PAPI to CAPI: Introducing CAPI in a Longitudinal Study," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 26(2), pages 239-269.
    4. Sara Randall & Ernestina Coast & Natacha Compaore & Philippe Antoine, 2013. "The power of the interviewer," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(27), pages 763-792.
    5. Fafchamps, Marcel & McKenzie, David & Quinn, Simon & Woodruff, Christopher, 2012. "Using PDA consistency checks to increase the precision of profits and sales measurement in panels," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 51-57.
    6. Craig Leisher, 2014. "A Comparison of Tablet-Based and Paper-Based Survey Data Collection in Conservation Projects," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-8, May.
    7. Nicole Watson & Roger Wilkins, 2012. "Experimental Change from Paper-Based Interviewing to Computer-Assisted Interviewing in the HILDA Survey," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2012n06, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    8. Caeyers, Bet & Chalmers, Neil & De Weerdt, Joachim, 2012. "Improving consumption measurement and other survey data through CAPI: Evidence from a randomized experiment," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 19-33.
    9. Randall, Sara & Coast, Ernestina & Compaore, Natacha & Antoine, Philippe, 2013. "The power of the interviewer: a qualitative perspective on African survey data collection," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 48277, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Andrew Dabalen & Alvin Etang & Johannes Hoogeveen & Elvis Mushi & Youdi Schipper & Johannes von Engelhardt, 2016. "Mobile Phone Panel Surveys in Developing Countries," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 24595.
    11. Johanna Choumert‐Nkolo & Henry Cust & Callum Taylor, 2019. "Using paradata to collect better survey data: Evidence from a household survey in Tanzania," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 598-618, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Johanna Choumert-Nkolo & Pascale Phelinas, 2018. "New paradigms for household surveys in low and middle income countries [Nouveaux paradigmes d'élaboration des enquêtes ménages dans les pays du Sud]," CERDI Working papers halshs-01888609, HAL.
    2. Utz Pape & Luca Parisotto, 2019. "Estimating Poverty in a Fragile Context – The High Frequency Survey in South Sudan," HiCN Working Papers 305, Households in Conflict Network.
    3. Fitzpatrick, Anne, 2023. "Which price is right? A comparison of three standard approaches to measuring prices," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    4. Ambler, Kate & Herskowitz, Sylvan & Maredia, Mywish K., 2021. "Are we done yet? Response fatigue and rural livelihoods," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    5. Sara Randall & Ernestina Coast & Philippe Antoine & Natacha Compaore & Fatou-Binetou Dial & Alexandra Fanghanel & Sadio Ba Gning & Bilampoa Gnoumou Thiombiano & Valérie Golaz & Stephen Ojiambo Wander, 2015. "UN Census “Households†and Local Interpretations in Africa Since Independence," SAGE Open, , vol. 5(2), pages 21582440155, June.
    6. Sara Randall & Ernestina Coast, 2016. "The quality of demographic data on older Africans," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(5), pages 143-174.
    7. repec:lic:licosd:41819 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Anderson, Stephen J. & Lazicky, Christy & Zia, Bilal, 2021. "Measuring the unmeasured: Aggregating, anchoring, and adjusting to estimate small business performance," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    9. Gourlay, Sydney & Kilic, Talip & Martuscelli, Antonio & Wollburg, Philip & Zezza, Alberto, 2021. "Viewpoint: High-frequency phone surveys on COVID-19: Good practices, open questions," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    10. Goel, Deepti & Abraham, Rosa & Lahoti, Rahul, 2022. "Improving Survey Quality using Paradata: Lessons from the India Working Survey," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1035, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    11. Joshua Brubaker & Talip Kilic & Philip Wollburg, 2021. "Representativeness of individual-level data in COVID-19 phone surveys: Findings from Sub-Saharan Africa," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(11), pages 1-27, November.
    12. Böhme, Marcus & Stöhr, Tobias, 2012. "Guidelines for the use of household interview duration analysis in CAPI survey management," Kiel Working Papers 1779, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    13. Francisco Ceballos & Manuel A. Hernandez & Cynthia Paz, 2021. "Short‐term impacts of COVID‐19 on food security and nutrition in rural Guatemala: Phone‐based farm household survey evidence," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(3), pages 477-494, May.
    14. Dang, Hai-Anh H & Carletto, Calogero, 2022. "Recall Bias Revisited: Measure Farm Labor Using Mixed-Mode Surveys and Multiple Imputation," IZA Discussion Papers 14997, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    15. Francisco J Buera & Joseph P Kaboski & Yongseok Shin, 2021. "The Macroeconomics of Microfinance," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 88(1), pages 126-161.
    16. Reitmann, Ann-Kristin & Goedhuys, Micheline & Grimm, Michael & Nillesen, Eleonora E.M., 2020. "Gender attitudes in the Arab region – The role of framing and priming effects," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    17. Joachim De Weerdt & Garance Genicot & Alice Mesnard, 2019. "Asymmetry of Information within Family Networks," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 54(1), pages 225-254.
    18. Marcel Fafchamps & Simon Quinn, 2017. "Aspire," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(10), pages 1615-1633, October.
    19. De Weerdt,Joachim & Christiaensen,Luc & Kanbur,Ravi, 2021. "When Distance Drives Destination, Towns Can Stimulate Development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9622, The World Bank.
    20. Davis, Jac & Magadzire, Nyasha & Hemerijckx, Lisa-Marie & Maes, Tijs & Durno, Darryn & Kenyana, Nobelusi & Lwasa, Shuaib & Van Rompaey, Anton & Verburg, Peter H. & May, Julian, 2022. "Precision approaches to food insecurity: A spatial analysis of urban hunger and its contextual correlates in an African city," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    21. Joachim De Weerdt & Kathleen Beegle & Jed Friedman & John Gibson, 2016. "The Challenge of Measuring Hunger through Survey," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(4), pages 727-758.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    computer-assisted personal interviewing; data quality; randomized experiment; survey; labor statistics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:605. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/glabode.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.