Who Can Be Contacted by Phone? Lessons from Switzerland

At one time, Switzerland was a country where most surveys were conducted by telephone. While it is still the dominant paradigm for many survey agencies, as well as for the Swiss Statistical Office itself, this choice is facing more and more challenges for many reasons. One reason is the high pressure on respondents, especially when we consider not only scientific and market surveys but also advertising operations trying to sell something under the label of a “survey”. Another reason is the quality of responses XE “quality of the data”. Many studies have shown that the content of responses differs in accordance with the mode of inquiry: respondents interviewed by phone underestimate alcohol consumption (Hill et al. 1997), exaggerate size, and minimize weight (Paccaud et al. 2001). Conrad and Schober (2000) have highlighted problems related to understanding questions, which is not as critical in the case of face-to-face surveys.