Rules of non-response and selectivity : analysing the drop-out in the multi-stage recruitment process for the German mobility panel.

The German Mobility Panel (MOP) is a survey of mobility behaviour that elicits information from the probands by means of a seven-day 24-hour diary each year over a time span of three years. As such the MOP not only features a unique dataset but also very high requirements with respect to the probands. This leads to response rates that are much lower than in normal surveys. In this paper the non-response and selectivity throughout the various stages of the MOP proband recruitment process are analysed. The burden for the MOP-respondents who have to report three times over a one week period is considerably high, and dropping out seems an easy option to avoid the hassle. Because of the high burden it is necessary to recruit reliable participants. The recruitment process is described. The burden for respondents is high, while opportunities to drop out of the survey are plenty. Consequently, the non-response in the MOP is much higher than in other surveys where the respondent burden is less. In this study the panel participants are compared with those who drop-out in the recruitment process. In order to obtain information about the personal and household context as well as the basic mobility behaviour of non-participants, appropriate questions are included in the initial CATI-Interview. These questions predominantly relate to typical or characteristic mobility behaviour and focus less on quantitative information. The CATI-respondents are asked about their roles in the household, the determinants of everyday life such as employment status, the presence of children etc. and the resulting mobility behaviour. Emphasis is on the mobility associated with leisure behaviour since it is not predetermined by a person's role or status but object of personal decision-making and thus expression of a particular lifestyle. This information facilitates a comparison of the behaviour and personal characteristics of drop-outs and panel participants. By means of this comparison it is possible to evaluate whether the drop-out is random and does not follow a specific rule or if representatives of particular mobility styles are more likely not to participate. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.