Child Labor Variation by Type of Respondent: Evidence from a Large-Scale Study

This study uses a nationally representative survey to analyze a key survey design decision in child labor measurement: self-reporting versus proxy interviewing. The child/proxy disagreement affects 20% of the sample, which translates into a 17.1 percentage point difference in the national rate of child labor. Marginal effects from standard child labor supply functions show child/proxy differences, particularly when the household experienced negative shocks. We find that attitudes and social perceptions toward child labor are not related to the likelihood of disagreement. A modified bivariate choice model reports statistically significant probabilities of misclassification that range between 9% and 30%.