In the Federal Republic of Germany an attempt has been made to develop a survey method which is able to supply valid data and which is also cost-effective. This has resulted in the development of a survey method able to depict the out-of-house activities of persons within a household context with a high degree of precision. The survey design is based on a self-administered, mail-back questionnaire and has reached a high level of standardisation in Germany during the last few years. The method can be used at either the local or national level. The transferability of the German standardised survey design was tested in two other european countries using practical applications in which concrete data were required for planning and investment policies. This paper reports on the planning and realisation of this test in Austria (Graz) and in The Netherlands (Delft). the technical/organisational framework, and the questionnaire used for the survey were kept as similar to the german method as possible. The paper describes the preparation and implementation of the survey method as well as the instrument used. In discussing the experience gained with the survey design in the three countries, the paper shows that the attempts to transfer the method from german to foreign populations using almost exactly the same method was extraordinarily successful. An important indication of the success of this test is the fact that the response rate of 70% achieved in germany was also attained in both other countries. (Author/publisher) for the covering abstract of the conference see IRRD 286978.
Abstract