EXAMPLE 3.11 Nonresponse in the Current Population Survey

How bad is nonresponse? The Current Population Survey (CPS) has the lowest nonresponse rate of any poll we know: only about 4% of the households in the CPS sample refuse to take part, and another 3% or 4% can’t be contacted. People are more likely to respond to a government survey such as the CPS, and the CPS contacts its sample in person before doing later interviews by phone.

The General Social Survey (Figure 3.3) is the nation’s most important social science research survey. The GSS also contacts its sample in person, and it is run by a university. Despite these advantages, its most recent survey had a 30% rate of nonresponse.¹⁵