REAL AND IMAGINATIVE RESPONSE BURDEN –
DIFFERENT WAYS OF TREATMENT, MEASUREMENT
AND REDUCTION
Daliute Kavaliauskiene
Bronislava Kaminskiene
Statistics Lithuania
Rome, 8-9 July 2008
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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
Number of questionnaires
250
200
150
Total
100
Business
statistics
50
0
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Year
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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
TIME USED TO FILL IN QUESTIONNAIRES
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
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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
DISTRIBUTION OF THE NUMBER BUSINESSES
BY TIME USED, %
18
15
8
13.3
6
12.9
12
39
9
18
6
3
less than 1 hour
from 1 to 2 hours
from 2 to 5 hours
from 5 to 8 hours
more than 8
0
2006
2007
29
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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
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