Problems Relating to Declining Response Rates to Social Survey Research in Japan: Trends After 2000

Inaba, Akihide

doi:10.1111/j.1475-6781.2007.00095.x

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…The use of a random sampling method from the populations of interest was not deemed practical. In Japan, for example, since the 1990s and 2000s, there have been well-documented problems of declining response rates to social survey research due to concerns in Japanese society about the criminal use of their personal information [35]. So, even if the planned sample is drawn randomly from the population, a low response rate could produce a biased sample.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors motivating the use of respiratory protection against volcanic ashfall: A comparative analysis of communities in Japan, Indonesia and Mexico

Covey

Horwell

Rachmawati

et al. 2019

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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Communities living near active volcanoes may be exposed to respiratory hazards from volcanic ash. Understanding their perception of the risks and the actions they take to mitigate against those risks is important for developing effective communication strategies. To investigate this issue, the first comparative study of risk perceptions and use of respiratory protection was conducted on 2003 residents affected by active volcanoes from three countries: Japan (Sakurajima volcano), Indonesia (Merapi and Kelud volcanoes) and Mexico (Popocatépetl volcano). The study was designed to test the explanatory value of a theoretical framework which hypothesized that use of respiratory protection (i.e., facemask) would be motivated by two cognitive constructs from protection motivation theory: threat appraisal (i.e., perceptions of harm/ worry about ash inhalation) and coping appraisal (i.e., beliefs about mask efficacy). Using structural equation modelling (SEM), important differences in the predictive ability of the constructs were found between countries. For example, perceptions of harm/ worry were stronger predictors of mask use in Japan and Indonesia than they were in Mexico where beliefs about mask efficacy were more important. The SEM also identified differences in the demographic variants of mask use in each country and how they were mediated by the cognitive constructs. Findings such as these highlight the importance of contextualising our understanding of protection motivation and, thus, the value of developing targeted approaches to promote precautionary behaviour.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors motivating the use of respiratory protection against volcanic ashfall: A comparative analysis of communities in Japan, Indonesia and Mexico

Covey

Horwell

Rachmawati

et al. 2019

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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“…There were several widely reported incidents involving the accidental release of personal information, including the 2003 unauthorized release of more than 5 million pieces of personal information for individuals who accessed the Yahoo Japan website. Publicity surrounding the 2003 enactment of the Personal Information Protection Law (Kojin-joho Hogo Ho) heightened awareness of fraudulent use of personal information (Inaba 2007). Enforcement of this law began in 2005…”

Section: Decline In Respondent Cooperationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several Japan-specific arguments have been advanced for this dramatic decline. There was a sharp increase in crimes involving fraudulentlyobtained personal information used to bilk individuals, which prompted local authorities to warn residents to be wary of dubious calls or visits (Inaba 2007); presumably the wariness of strangers requesting things was extended to field workers for legitimate research projects. There were several widely reported incidents involving the accidental release of personal information, including the 2003 unauthorized release of more than 5 million pieces of personal information for individuals who accessed the Yahoo Japan website.…”

Section: Decline In Respondent Cooperationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do low survey response rates bias results? Evidence from Japan

Rindfuss¹,

Choe²,

Tsuya³

et al. 2015

DemRes

167

114

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BACKGROUNDIn developed countries, response rates have dropped to such low levels that many in the population field question whether the data can provide unbiased results. OBJECTIVEThe paper uses three Japanese surveys conducted in the 2000s to ask whether low survey response rates bias results. A secondary objective is to bring results reported in the survey response literature to the attention of the demographic research community. METHODSUsing a longitudinal survey as well as paradata from a cross-sectional survey, a variety of statistical techniques (chi square, analysis of variance (ANOVA), logistic regression, ordered probit or ordinary least squares regression (OLS), as appropriate) are used to examine response-rate bias. RESULTSEvidence of response-rate bias is found for the univariate distributions of some demographic characteristics, behaviors, and attitudinal items. But when examining relationships between variables in a multivariate analysis, controlling for a variety of background variables, for most dependent variables we do not find evidence of bias from low response rates. COMMENTSThe results have two implications. First, demographers should not presume the presence or absence of low response-rate bias; rather they should test for it in the context of a specific substantive analysis. Second, demographers should lobby data gatherers to collect as much paradata as possible so that rigorous tests for low response-rate bias are possible. IntroductionSample surveys (cross-sectional and longitudinal) have become the dominant data source used by population researchers. Response rates, both the initial response rate and attrition rates in longitudinal studies, have historically been an important rough-andready yardstick to judge data quality. Response rates 6 have been declining in urbanized, high-income countries to the point where many cross-sectional surveys now have response rates below 50% (Atrostic et al. 2001;Brick and Williams 2013;de Leeuw and de Heer 2002;Groves 2011;Singer 2006). The survey literature has long recognized that low response rates only indicate potential bias (e.g., Lessler and Kalsbeck 1992), yet the almost automatic response among most in the population field has been to equate low response rates with poor data quality. Low response rates produce bias only to the extent that there are differences between responders and non-responders on the estimate(s) of interest, and then only if such differences cannot be eliminated or controlled for through the use of observable and available characteristics of responders and non-responders. The difficulty in evaluating non-response bias is that measures of the variable(s) of interest and characteristics of non-responders are generally not observed, and hence the population field has tended to rely on the presumption that low response rates necessarily mean low data quality.In this paper, using surveys designed by demographers and variables that have often been used as dependent variables in demographic research, we examine this 6 ...

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“…Examining reasons of non-response, they conclude that the decreasing response rates reflect changes in lifestyles and attitudes toward public opinion surveys in Japan. For more recent trends in response rates in Japan, seeInaba (2007) andSynodinos and Yamada (2000) that confirm the continuous decline in response rates.…”

mentioning

confidence: 73%

The Infrastructure of Public Opinion Research in Japan

Kubota¹

2013

Asian Journal for Public Opinion Research

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This article introduces the infrastructure of public opinion research in Japan by reviewing the development of polling organizations and the current situation of social surveys. In Japan, the polling infrastructure developed through the direction and encouragement of the U.S. occupation authorities. In the early 1969s, however, survey researchers began to conduct their own original polls in not only domestic but also cross-national contexts. An exploration of recent survey trends reveals that polling organizations tended to conduct more surveys during summer, in the mid-range of sample size (1,000-2,999), based on random sampling (response rates of 40-50%), and through the mail between April 2011 and March 2012. The media was the most active polling sector.

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Problems Relating to Declining Response Rates to Social Survey Research in Japan: Trends After 2000

Cited by 21 publications

References 1 publication

Factors motivating the use of respiratory protection against volcanic ashfall: A comparative analysis of communities in Japan, Indonesia and Mexico

Factors motivating the use of respiratory protection against volcanic ashfall: A comparative analysis of communities in Japan, Indonesia and Mexico

Do low survey response rates bias results? Evidence from Japan

The Infrastructure of Public Opinion Research in Japan

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