Exploring Burden Perceptions of Household Survey Respondents in the American Community Survey

Minimizing respondent survey burden may help decrease nonresponse and increase data quality, but the measurement of burden has varied widely. Recent efforts have paid more attention to respondents’ subjective perceptions of burden, measured through the addition of questions to a survey. Despite reliance on these questions as key measures, little qualitative research has been conducted for household surveys. This study used focus groups to examine respondents’ reactions to possible sources of burden in the American Community Survey (ACS) such as survey length, sensitivity, and contact strategy; respondents’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about burden; and overall perceptions of burden. Feedback was used to guide subsequent selection and cognitive testing of questions on subjective perceptions of burden. Generally, respondents did not find the ACS to be burdensome. When deciding whether it was burdensome, respondents thought about the process of responding to the questionnaire, the value of the data, that response is mandatory, and to a lesser extent, the contacts they received, suggesting these constructs are key components of burden in the ACS. There were some differences by response mode and household characteristics. Findings reinforce the importance of conducting qualitative research to ensure questions capture important respondent burden perceptions for a particular survey.