Global Assessment on Tendency Surveys United Nations Statistics Division Paul Hanna 17-19 November 2011 Moscow, Russia

Background Assessment collected information on tendency surveys conducted by organizations around the world The survey was sent to 294 organizations in 212 countries 67 responses received From organizations that completed at least 25 questions 36 NSOs 33 Eurostat organizations (13 NSOs) Response rate: 23% One and a half months to respond

Background 41 4 11 4 3 4

Overview 5 major economic sectors were surveyed w/ detailed questions

Overview Most surveys conducted by NSOs

Overview 5 sections of the questionnaire Institutional environment and management Registers and frames Surveys Data integration Dissemination

Institutional Environment and Management 30%-60% of surveys are compulsory (consumer-retail) Quality assurance frameworks are designed primarily considering sample size More than 80% of organizations collect their own data

Registers and Frames Frame sources: primarily statistical office 81%-90% Government sources Except consumer: 62% All units in frame: about 2/3 of organizations include all units Exceptions are size category Frame updates: Most within 2 years, more than 90% w/in 5 years

Surveys - sample Sample selection

Surveys - sample Sample size vs. Frame size The largest outlier is Australian industry survey.

Surveys – response rate Desired response rate: 80-90% on average Consumer follow ups are only 67%

Surveys – response rate Desired response rate: 80-90% on average Follow ups are done by most organizations (usually by phone or email) Follow ups are effective Initial response <50%: 30% improvement Initial response >50%: 10% improvement Except for consumer: 11% and 4% resp. Consumer follow ups are only 67%

Surveys – non-response Unit and item non-response: adjustments are made about 60% of the time (40-50% for consumer) Usually by sample weight adj or imputation Many imputation techniques used

Surveys – non-response

Surveys – questions Number of questions used Conversion of multiple choice into time series: 82%-96% use balance (P-N) for both 3&5 question surveys

Surveys – source questions & confidence indicators Industry

Surveys Construction

Surveys Consumer

Surveys Services

Surveys Retail

Data integration Most organizations simply take an average/weighted average of the survey results. No adjustments are made before or after averaging. Adjustment made are primarily seasonality and standardization

Dissemination Data is disseminated via: Paper publication Internet Public releases are punctual Response rates are released about 60% of the time (45% for consumer) Data disseminated through paper and electronic formats. Release calendars almost always exist. Releases are almost always punctual. Statistics are available to all users simultaneously. Confidentiality is ensured by aggregation.

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