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Survey Research Methodology

Surveys—from in-person to web-based, and discrete choice to stated preference—are an important means of collecting sociological, statistical, and demographic data. RAND has pioneered the use of surveys in several fields, including the development of the Delphi method of opinion gathering, and examined the statistical accuracy of various survey formats and web-based surveys.

Journal Article

Validity of Self-Rated Memory Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese Adults: Results From the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

A self-rated memory survey item on the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) performed poorly in comparison to objective measures of memory, signaling the need for caution in its use in survey research or primary care practice.

Dec 15, 2017
Report

Are Soldiers Getting What They Need?

In addition to typical household issues, U.S. military families deal with unique challenges, such as deployments and frequent moves. A survey of more than 7,000 active-duty soldiers provides insight into the problems they face, their needs, and the resources they use.

Oct 9, 2017
Report

Feasibility of a Survey Panel of Criminal Justice Agencies: For Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Law Enforcement, Courts, and Institutional and Community Corrections Agencies

RAND conducted a feasibility study to establish a survey panel of representatives of small, rural, tribal, and border criminal justice agencies. Such a panel would enable policymakers to collect up-to-date information on priorities and challenges.

Sep 1, 2017
Report

The RAND American Life Panel: Technical Description

This document provides a detailed description of the RAND American Life Panel methodology related to sample recruitment, sample retention, and weighting and should be of use for users of the panel and as general reference material.

Jul 26, 2017
Journal Article

An Item Response Theory Approach to Estimating Survey Mode Effects: Analysis of Data from a Randomized Mode Experiment

Survey respondents assigned to an aural mode (e.g., telephone) more often endorse the first and especially the last item compared with those assigned to a visual mode (mail).

May 31, 2017
Report

Outcome Performance Measure Development for Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions

This report summarizes analyses to assess the reliability and validity of the Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12) metrics and patient-reported outcome performance measures.

Apr 12, 2017
Journal Article

CAHPS and Comments: How Closed-Ended Survey Questions and Narrative Accounts Interact in the Assessment of Patient Experience

Incorporating a protocol for eliciting narratives into a patient experience survey results in minimal distortion of patient feedback, and narratives from sicker patients help explain variation in provider ratings.

Apr 7, 2017
Journal Article

(Un)expected Housing Price Changes: Identifying the Drivers of Small Business Finance

In this paper, we use the Kauffman Firm Survey to examine the effect of housing price changes on small business financial variables.

Jan 10, 2017
Journal Article

Mind the Gap: Implementation Challenges Break the Link Between HIV/AIDS Research and Practice

Case studies of the implementation of two sampling strategies suggest how future research may increase reach and uptake of HIV services among key populations.

Nov 30, 2016
Commentary

Why the Polls Were Wrong

RAND's Presidential Election Panel Survey, like other polls, overpredicted the popular vote. But since it focused on the decisionmaking process and how that translated into behaviors, the data could provide deep insights into what happened and how it took pollsters by surprise.

Nov 14, 2016
Report

Estimated Popular Vote Totals for the Presidential Election

Researchers used the RAND Presidential Election Panel Survey to estimate the popular vote in the U.S. election and determine which candidate Americans think will win.

Nov 1, 2016
Journal Article

Establishing Limits for Supplemental Items on a Standardized National Survey

Response rates for the Medicare Advantage Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (MA CAHPS) survey were 2.5 percentage points lower when 12 questions had been added to the survey, compared with no additional questions.

Oct 20, 2016
Report

Voters' Support for Key Issues Changed

Voters' opinions of both major-party candidates remain low, but their attitudes on two issues have shifted. Support for building a fence along the Mexican border has decreased while support for providing a legal way for illegal immigrants already in the United States to become citizens has increased.

Oct 12, 2016
Multimedia

Survey Says? Inside RAND's Election Poll

In this Events @ RAND podcast, our panel of experts discusses the latest results of the RAND Presidential Election Panel Survey (PEPS), and what they might portend for Election Day.

Oct 6, 2016
Report

American Voters Are United in Dissatisfaction with Their Choices

Clinton and Trump supporters disagree on many topics. But they are united in their dissatisfaction with the candidates. Data show that if Americans could vote against the candidates, many would do so.

Sep 28, 2016
Journal Article

Culturally Competent Informed-Consent Process to Evaluate a Social Policy for Older Persons with Low Literacy

As scientific inquiry becomes increasingly global, creative approaches to adapting the informed-consent process will help address cultural, linguistic, and regulatory demands.

Sep 22, 2016
Journal Article

Rescaling the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Use in Primary Care

Changing the response scale for the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL), a measure of PTSD symptom severity, yields comparable results to the original version and may improve its clinical utility.

Sep 22, 2016
Report

Ongoing Survey Research on Post-9/11 Veterans

This report provides a detailed listing and analysis of surveys identified in the course of an assessment of ongoing survey research on post-9/11 U.S. military veterans.

Sep 21, 2016
Journal Article

Achieving Broad Participation in Congregational Health Surveys at African American and Latino Churches

Participation in church-wide surveys of sensitive health issues can be enhanced by holding survey sessions after religious services, collaborating with congregational leaders, and tailoring surveys to the cultural and organizational contexts.

Sep 15, 2016
Journal Article

Satisfaction of Discharged Nursing Home Residents

Most of the psychometric properties of the CAHPS® Nursing Home survey: Discharged Resident Instrument (NHCAHPS-D) have acceptable levels of reliability.

Jul 25, 2016

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