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REAL AND IMAGINATIVE RESPONSE BURDEN –DIFFERENT WAYS OF TREATMENT, MEASUREMENT

AND REDUCTION

Daliute Kavaliauskiene

Bronislava Kaminskiene

Statistics Lithuania

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SUBJECT-MATTER

1. MEANS USED TO REDUCE THE BURDEN ON RESPONDENTS

2. MEASUREMENT OF RESPONSE BURDEN

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ORGANISATION OF WORK

A PERMANENT WORKING GROUP ON RESPONSE BURDEN SINCE 2003

AN ACTION PLAN RENEWED ANNUALLY

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MEANS USED

1. REDUCTION OF THE NUMBER OF STATISTICAL SURVEYS

2. REVISION OF STATISTICAL QUESTIONNAIRES

3. IMPROVEMENT OF SAMPLING PROCEDURES

4. APPLICATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE DATA IN STATISTICAL SURVEYS

5. NEW IT TECHNOLOGIES FOR STATISTICAL DATA COLLECTION

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REDUCTION OF STATISTICAL SURVEYS

JOINING TOGETHER SEVERAL SURVEYS

ABOLITION OF SURVEYS

0

50

100

150

200

250

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year

Nu

mb

er o

f q

ues

tio

nn

aire

s

Total

Businessstatistics

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REVISION OF STATISTICAL QUESTIONNAIRES

ABOLITION OF IRRELEVANT INDICATORS

IMPROVEMENT OF METHODOLOGICAL GUIDELINES FOR FILLING IN STATISTICAL QUESTIONNAIRES

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IMPROVEMENT OF SAMPLING PROCEDURES

REDUCING THE SAMPLE SIZES

TRYING TO DISTRIBUTE THE RESPONSE BURDEN MORE EVENLY AMONG BUSINESSES

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APPLICATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE DATA IN STATISTICAL SURVEYS

2 STS INDICATORS BASED ON ADMINSTRATIVE DATA OF THE STATE SOCIAL INSURANCE FUND BOARD

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES

WAGES AND SALARIES

SBS INDICATORS FOR ENTERPRISES WITH UP TO 10 EMPLOYEES BASED ON ANNUAL FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS FROM STATE TAX INSPECTORATE

ABOUT 16 THOUS. RESPONDENTS

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NEW IT TECHNOLOGIES FOR STATISTICAL DATA COLLECTION

INTRODUCTION OF E-QUESTIONNAIRES

DRAFT PROJECT ON THE POSSIBILITY TO EXTRACT DATA DIRECTLY FROM BUSINESS ACCOUNTANCY SYSTEMS

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PARTICIPATION OF ENTERPRISES IN STATISTICAL SURVEYS

  2005 2006 2007 2008

Number of active enterprises 72 330 73 334 76 516 81 376

Number of enterprises participating in at least one statistical survey

46 717 45 025 45 384 45 742

Participation rate in percent 65% 61% 59% 56%

Average number of surveys per enterprise

3,7 3,6 3,5 3,4

Number of questionnaires for enterprises

187 175 157 157

Average number of questionnaires per enterprise

6,8 6,9 6,5 6,1

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REASONS TO START MEASUREMENT OF THE STATISTICAL RESPONSE BURDEN

POLITICAL INTEREST IN THE SUBJECT

RESPONSE BURDEN – ONE OF THE QUALITY DIMENSIONS IN TQM SYSTEM

IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEAS TO REDUCE THE BURDEN

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THE MAIN RESPONSE BURDEN INDICATOR

ADVENTAGES:

1. EASY TO COMPARE AMONG DIFFERENT TYPE OF ACTIVITIES, SIZE OF AN ENTERPRISES, E.T.C.

2. EASY TO COMPARE AMONG COUNTRIES

3. EASY TO CALCULATE FOR DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS (IRRESPECTIVE OF LABOUR COSTS)

4. EASY FOR RESPONDENTS TO REPORT DATA

TIME USED TO FILL IN QUESTIONNAIRES

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EVALUATION OF THE RESPONSE BURDEN

ALL QUESTIONNAIRES SUPPLEMENTED BY A QUESTION ON THE RESPONSE BURDEN

TIME AVERAGE AND MEDIAN CALCULATED FOR QUESTIONNAIRES

THE TOTAL RESPONSE BURDEN CALCULATED FOR ALL BUSINESSES IN THE SAMPLE

THE PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY IS TO MEASURE THE BURDEN IMPOSED ON BUSINESSES, NOT THE ACTUAL RESPONSE BURDEN

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RESULTS OF EVALUATION OF RESPONSE BURDEN

TIME USED TO FILL IN QUESTIONNAIRES, HOURS

13.3 12.9

0

3

6

9

12

15

18

2006 2007

DISTRIBUTION OF THE NUMBER BUSINESSES BY TIME USED, %

39

29

18

6

8

less than 1 hour

from 1 to 2 hours

from 2 to 5 hours

from 5 to 8 hours

more than 8

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ANALYSIS OF DATA

TENDENCY OF THE RESPONDENTS TO OVERESTIMATE THE STATISTICAL BURDEN IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE OBLIGATIONS

HUGE VARIABILITY OF DATA SHOWS THE IMPACT OF THE HUMAN FACTOR ON THE RESPONSE BURDEN ESTIMATION

REAL AND IMAGINATIVE (SUBJECTIVE) RESPONSE BURDEN – TWO COMPONENTS OF THE SAME PHENOMENON

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FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SUBJECTIVE RESPONSE BURDEN

TOO HEAVY REAL RESPONSE BURDEN

GAP IN INFORMATION ON RESPONSE BURDEN OF OTHER BUSINESSES

LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DATA PROVIDED

INSUFFICIENT DIALOG OF STATISTICIANS WITH RESPONDENTS

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WAYS TO REDUCE RESPONSE BURDEN

1. ALLOCATION OF SAMPLES AS EVENLY AS POSSIBLE OVER THE POPULATION

2. MORE INFORMATION FOR THE RESPONDENTS ON THE RESPONSE BURDEN

3. INCREASED DIALOG WITH RESPONDENTS

4. FEEDBACK FOR THE RESPONDENTS

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Thank you.Questions are welcome