Content Analysis and Predicting Survey Refusal: What Are Respondents’ Concerns about Participating in a Face-to-face Household Mental Health Survey?

Field Methods, vol. 33, pp. 125–142

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that refusals form the largest proportion of nonresponse for household surveys. As face-to-face household health surveys are uncommon in several countries, it might be advantageous for prospective surveys to preemptively tackle respondents’ refusal to survey participation. Using contact history data from the Saudi National Mental Health Survey, we examined the relationship between social environmental factors, respondent characteristics, survey request concerns recorded by interviewers, and respondents’ propensity to refuse to participate in the survey. Content analysis and logistic regressions were conducted. Our findings suggest that urbanicity, region, socioeconomic status, age, and gender are associated with refusal. Patriarchal gatekeepers and specific survey-related concerns are more likely to lead to temporary refusals compared to final refusals. These results have implications for survey researchers employing similar recruitment and data collection methods, for example in tailoring refusal conversion strategies for interviewers to address concerns expressed by Saudi and/or culturally similar respondents.

Authors 11

1. Sanaa Hyder

   King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · King Saud University · King Salman Center for Disability Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

2. Lisa Bilal

   King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · King Saud University · King Salman Center for Disability Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

3. Zeina Mneimneh

   University of Michigan · Institute for Social Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

4. Mohammad Talal Naseem

   King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · King Saud University · King Salman Center for Disability Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

5. Edward Bentz Devol

   King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

6. Maggie Aradati

   King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · King Saud University · King Salman Center for Disability Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

7. Mona K. Shahab Aachen Clinical Epidemiology Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences Clinical Psychology Department

   Leiden University · Leiden University Medical Center · Parnassia Groep · King Salman Center for Disability Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Clinical Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands

   Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Clinical Psychology Department, Leiden University, the Netherlands

   King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   i-psy interculturele psychiatrie, Parnassia Groep, The Netherlands

8. Abdulrahman Binmuammar

   King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · King Saud University · King Salman Center for Disability Research

   Affiliation as printed

   Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

9. Abdullah Al‐Subaie

   King Saud University

   Affiliation as printed

   Edrak Medical Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

   SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

10. Abdulhameed Abdullah Alhabeeb

    Ministry of Health

    Affiliation as printed

    Mental Health and Social Services, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

11. Yasmin A. Altwaijri corresponding

    King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre · King Saud University · King Salman Center for Disability Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Scientific Computing Department, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    King Salman Center for Disability Research, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    SABIC Psychological Health Research & Applications Chair (SPHRAC), College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia