To maintain the representativeness of a longitudinal study, Understanding Society (UKHLS) introduced a general population refreshment sample at Wave 14. However, unlike later waves, little is known about the characteristics of nonrespondents at the initial stage of contact. This study investigates nonresponse processes in the Wave 14 refreshment sample by linking refreshment addresses to external official data sources, including the Census and additional administrative datasets.

Our analysis examines differences between respondents and nonrespondents across a range of demographic and socioeconomic predictors. While respondents and nonrespondents exhibit similarities on many key variables, the differences that do emerge are generally small. Interestingly, neighbourhood-level predictors play distinct roles in determining contact and refusal outcomes, suggesting that these two nonresponse mechanisms operate independently. Additionally, we take advantage of the UKHLS Wave 14 mode experiment to compare nonresponse processes in face-to-face and mixed-mode designs.

Our results can be useful for improving recruitment strategies in future longitudinal studies, refreshments or address-based surveys in general, particularly in designing more effective follow-up efforts and tailoring approaches based on neighbourhood characteristics.

Co-authors

Dr Olena Kaminska, University of Essex