Measuring the survey climate: the Flemish case

Researchers in several countries have regularly reported decreasing response rates for surveys and the need for increased efforts in order to attain an acceptable response rate: two things that can be seen as signs of a worsening survey climate. At the same time, differences between countries and surveys with regard to the actual level and evolution of response rates have also been noted. Some of these differences are probably linked to differences in the survey content or design. This may hinder the study of the evolving survey climate over time, based on different surveys in different countries, because more readily comparable conditions are desirable. An optimal opportunity for describing the changing survey climate is offered by the Survey of Social-Cultural Changes in Flanders. We analyse yearly data from 1996 to 2013 to examine the evolution of several survey climate indicators. Some indicators reveal a declining survey climate, such as an increased refusal rate and a greater number of contact attempts per respondent. Other indicators reveal a stable survey climate, such as a stable response rate and respondents' positive, stable attitude towards surveys. Results show that, within the same survey, one can compensate for negative evolution by increasing the efforts made to ensure completed interviews.