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Bureau of Labor Statistics > Office of Survey Methods Research > Topics > Response Rates

Household and establishment survey response rates glossary

Collection period

Time available to collect data.

Computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)

A structured system of data collection by telephone that speeds up the collection and editing of data; it also permits the interviewer to educate the respondents on the importance of timely and accurate data.

EDI - The Electronic Data Interchange Center

Facilitates the collection of establishment survey data by offering centralized electronic data reporting. This reduces the burden for employers since they can generate electronic files directly from their payroll system, rather than completing survey forms, and can send files covering all their locations to one place rather than sending files separately for different reporting units.

Eligible

Potential respondents who match the target sample.

Final release

Last chance to report data for establishment surveys that continue to collect data after preliminary estimates are calculated. The additional data collected through final closing may be used to revise preliminary estimates.

First preliminary release

The first deadline to report data for establishment surveys that continue to collect data after preliminary estimates are calculated. Preliminary estimates from the first closing are subject to revision as additional responses are collected until final closing. There are many reasons for not reporting by first closing, such as payroll patterns, shortage of administrative staffing, and reluctant respondents.

Initiation

Data collectors' attempt to get an establishment to agree to participate in the survey and educate the establishment on the methods.

Mode

The means of administering the survey, such as: personal visit, phone, Internet, mail.

Nonresponse bias

The bias that results when respondents differ in meaningful ways from nonrespondents.

Overall unit response rate

For establishment surveys initiation and repricing response rates are combined into an overall response rate.

Quote

"Quote" is a sampling unit term used to describe the data collector's attempt to collect a price for a unique item at a specific establishment/service at a given point in time.

Repricing

The collection of price measures over time to estimate price changes.

RDD (Random Digital Dialing)

Random Digit Dialing is a method for selecting survey participants by randomly generating a phone number, rather than drawing from a source, like a phone directory.

Sample size

Number of units eligible for data collection.

TDE (Touchtone Data Entry)

Automated phone process where respondents complete a computer-based interview that replicates the entries that appear on paper forms or the standard questions asked by interviewers during a CATI call.

Last Modified Date: September 5, 2018