Household or Individual – Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Interview Selection Strategies

In light of the growing importance of transport analysis since the 1960s, interviewing households has become a proven means of gathering information concerning the travel behavior of the population. In spite of the exploitation of various classical methods and the partial use of new media, the acceptance of household interviews in Germany has deteriorated sharply over the last few years. This can be seen in the continuously declining response rates. A low response rate may have a negative impact on the quality of the data gathered and on the acceptance of the published results. The Technische Universität Dresden is currently analyzing the possibility of halting the declining response rate by combining different survey methods that differ in regard to the target group. One of the key questions in considering a target-group-specific approach is the decision of whether to choose the household or the individual as the primary unit of analysis. Deciding on a favorable sampling strategy requires careful reflection on the advantages and disadvantages in terms of statistics, content and the practicability of the survey.