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SURVEY DEVELOPMENT AND DATA COLLECTION
The Sensitivity and Awareness Training session aimed to increase interviewers' awareness of the experience of survivors of violence, and their own response to the topic. It also provided techniques to assist interviewers to deal with difficult or emotional interviews and to react professionally and appropriately to the topics addressed in the survey. The ABS utilised external consultants specialising in this field to provide this component of the interviewer training. A support network was put in place to provide support, stress management and coping strategies for interviewers while they were working on the survey. The main components of the network were access to counsellors, a contact person in the office and the provision of voluntary emotional debriefing sessions at the mid-point and at the end of enumeration. Interviewers were strongly encouraged to use this network. Questionnaire A Computer Assisted Interview (CAI) instrument was used for the 2016 PSS. It contained a household form and a personal questionnaire. The household form collected, from any responsible adult within the household, basic demographic data, such as sex, age, country of birth and details of the relationship between individuals in the household. The instrument then randomly selected an in-scope person of the pre-assigned gender to be interviewed. If there was no in-scope person of the pre-assigned gender, an in-scope person of the alternate gender was selected. For more details on the requirement for pre-assigned genders, refer to the Sample Design section of the Methodology page of this User Guide. The survey questionnaire was designed and thoroughly tested according to standard ABS procedures. Factors taken into consideration included:
Careful consideration was also given to the structuring of the instrument, so that more sensitive topics were progressively introduced. Information was recorded by interviewers (during a CAPI) or respondents (during a CASI) in a number of different ways, such as:
A copy of the 2016 PSS Questionnaire and prompt cards are available through the Downloads tab of this User Guide. Testing of the questionnaire The questionnaire was field tested via cognitive testing and a dress rehearsal. These tests were conducted to ensure:
Targeted interviews with people who were known to have experienced violence were conducted at crisis support centres in Victoria as part of the Cognitive Testing. This phase involved a series of questions being asked to probe the respondent for question meaning, comprehension and gather information on potential areas of content development. The main purpose was to ensure that the content of the survey was effectively tested on people who have experienced violence as well as obtaining feedback about their reactions to the survey's content. Specific testing of the CASI was also conducted in these centres in order to test the ability of respondents to complete the sensitive topics themselves and identify any areas where questions could be raised. It also confirmed whether the practice questions were sufficient to provide the respondent with the relevant skills necessary to move through the instrument. As is common practice for ABS surveys, the questionnaire was also tested using experienced ABS interviewers and applying the procedures and methods planned for the final survey. This dress rehearsal was conducted in New South Wales during February and March 2016. The broad aims of the testing program were to test new and modified survey content to ascertain respondent reactions and identify any sensitivities associated with the survey content, test the wording provided at the Opt-out point (for details on what the Opt-out point is, see Interviews section below), test operational aspects of the survey instrument, and to assess the suitability of modified field procedures and the comprehensiveness of overall survey procedures and documentation. As a result of the testing program, the survey instrument was progressively improved and the methodology and survey procedures refined. SURVEY PROCEDURES Due to the sensitive nature of the information being collected, as with previous cycles, special procedures were used to ensure the safety of those participating and the reliability of the data provided. While generally the standard ABS approach was followed, there were also specific field procedures applied reflecting the sensitive nature and content of the survey. The aims of these procedures were to maximise response rates and to ensure the safety of both respondents and interviewers. They were also designed to help ensure confidentiality of responses and the integrity of data. Household Contact Details Form (HCDF) In considering the best method of advising respondents they had been selected to participate in the survey, for 2016 the introduction of an official letter and registration process (for registering contact details) was adopted. As such, prior to enumeration, all selected households were sent out pre-approach material by mail that consisted of the following:
The registration and reminder letters contained the log-on credentials to register and complete an online Household Contact Details Form (HCDF). The HCDF was used to gather respondent contact details and information on the best time to call to arrange an interview. This information was used to help interviewers plan their workloads and save unnecessary trips to selected dwellings. The pre-approach mail-out was not possible for a small number of households for which the ABS did not have an adequate postal address. For households where there was an insufficient postal address but there was a physical address, interviewers left a copy of the Non-deliverable Letter informing respondents of their selection in a survey and requesting they contact the office to provide contact details and best time to call information to arrange an interview. If households registered contact details for the survey, the interviewer called first to collect household details to determine who the selected person was so that arrangements to speak with them could be made prior to attending the house. If household contact details weren’t registered, the interviewer approached the house in person. Household Approach Due to the sample requirements (for more details see the Methodology page of this User Guide), each dwelling had an initially predetermined gender assigned. A series of screening questions were asked of the person answering the door, to determine the number of usual male/female residents aged 18 years and over. From this information the interviewer was able to determine whether the person they were talking to would be selected for interview (i.e. there was only one person of the predetermined gender in the household and the person at the door was that gender) or if further details of the usual residents would need to be collected to determine who would be selected for interview. Predetermining the gender of the person to be interviewed allowed interviewers to tailor their approach, depending upon who answered the door. For households which did not contain someone of the pre-assigned gender, someone of the opposite gender was selected (referred to as a gender-selection ‘flipped’ household). Again, the information from the screening questions could allow the interviewer to determine if the person at the door would be the selected person. While every effort was made to ask the household spokesperson screening questions (in order to determine who the selected person would be), it was not always possible for the interviewers to do so. Sometimes the household spokesperson refused to answer the screening questions, or to answer the information about the usual residents and sometimes the household spokesperson would refuse on behalf of the selected respondent. In light of all the possible blocking points, interviewers were provided with specific training aimed at assisting them in gaining cooperation for the survey in order to ensure the highest response rates possible. With the first part of the 2016 PSS being compulsory, interviewers were able to also advise of people’s obligation to participate in the survey. In order to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of the data collected, interviewers were instructed not to approach any dwellings known to them if they were not comfortable to do so. If they chose to approach the household they would also offer the household the option for another interviewer to attend. The introduction of the Computer Assisted Self Interview (CASI) to the sensitive part of the survey meant that there were not as strict rules as previous cycles regarding these situations and it was left to the interviewer and respondent to determine if they were happy to proceed. Due to the workload allocation processes currently used by the ABS, occasionally an interviewer would be assigned dwellings in the same workload which were within eyesight of one another (unavoidable in cul-de-sacs and blocks of units facing one another). The ABS considered this a risk to both data confidentiality (given that the length of time taken to conduct a PSS interview may indicate the complexity of someone's life experiences to a neighbour) and response rates (given that neighbours may discuss the content of the survey with one another, causing a household who had not yet completed their interview to refuse). Interviewers were instructed to conduct an interview at one dwelling, but any dwellings within eyesight of the first were to be approached on another day or time. Household Details General characteristics of the household were obtained from any responsible adult (ARA) member of the household, either over the phone (if the respondent had registered and provided their contact details via the HCDF) or upon the first face-to-face contact with the household after the screening questions had been asked. This information included the number and basic demographic characteristics of usual residents of the dwelling (e.g. age and sex), and the relationships between those people (e.g. spouse, son/daughter, not related). From the information provided by the ARA regarding household composition, those persons in scope of the survey were determined, and, on a random basis, one person aged 18 years and over of either the predetermined or ‘flipped’ gender was selected for inclusion in the survey. If the dwelling contained no usual residents aged 18 years or over, no further information was collected from that household. Interviews Selected respondents were first advised of the general nature of the survey. During the interview less sensitive questions were asked first, such as their demographic details and general feelings of safety. This allowed people to become comfortable with the method of questioning, to build a certain level of rapport with the interviewer and also to familiarise them with the survey content. Once the questions regarding a person's experience of violence were reached in the interview, respondents were informed of the sensitive nature of the upcoming questions and their permission to continue with the interview was sought (referred to as the Opt-out point). From this point the interview was voluntary, and respondents could choose not to proceed at any stage. At this point the respondent was also advised that the interview would continue as a CASI, that is, the respondent would complete the interview themselves using the interviewers’ laptop. The CASI mode was introduced for the PSS in 2016 due to the sensitive nature of the information being collected and as a method to improve response rates. The CASI reduced respondent and interviewer burden as questions and responses did not have to be articulated therefore protecting the respondent’s privacy in circumstances where they did not feel comfortable discussing the topics. However, if the respondent identified they were not comfortable with using a computer or wanted the interviewer to continue, the interviewer could offer to continue conducting the interview (referred to as a Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI)). In these situations, it was a specific requirement that all CAPIs for the sensitive topics were to be conducted alone (including no children) in a private setting. Interviewers were advised that it was preferable to obtain a private setting (whether in the home or at an alternative location) from the beginning of the interview in order to avoid disruption. Interviewers were also advised that if the respondent chose to complete the voluntary component as a CASI, they should ensure that other people could not see the screen or respondent reactions, or hear any queries the respondent may ask them about the questions. If they could, then the interviewer was to follow the same procedures as a CAPI. Approximately 2,600 respondents chose not to proceed with the 2016 PSS beyond the Opt-out point (classified for PSS 2016 as an adequate complete interview). This is an increase from previous surveys. However, in previous PSS cycles the majority of these respondents may have refused either at the door or prior to commencing their personal interview as a result of those cycles being fully voluntary. For those respondents who continued on to complete the survey, 11,478 completed the interview as a CASI and 9,764 completed the interview as a CAPI. Respondents aged 65 and over were the most likely to complete the survey via a CAPI, with three-quarters of their interviews being conducted via CAPI. For more details on the characteristics of CASI and CAPI respondents, see the Response Rates page of this User Guide. The questions asked during the interview (or even just raising the topics that were to be asked about) may have caused emotional distress for some respondents. With this in mind, the ABS provided an information card providing contact details of some support services. This card was offered to all people at the conclusion of an interview where the sensitive nature of the voluntary component had been revealed (i.e. from the Opt-out point onwards). This was irrespective of whether the respondent chose to continue through the voluntary component or not. Proxy Interviews For the 2016 PSS, the option of proxy interviews was introduced if required. Proxy interviews were offered to respondents where they were unable to participate in interviews due to any of the following reasons:
For proxy interviews, a household member of the respondent’s choosing was able to answer the questions in the survey on the respondent’s behalf. However, only the compulsory components of the survey were asked by the interviewer i.e. demographic information such as household information, ancestry and language, education, employment, income, disability, social connectedness and general feelings of safety. For these interviews, the sensitive voluntary component of the survey was not mentioned and questions on these topics were not asked. This was to ensure the safety of those participating (where the respondent may have been living in the same household as a perpetrator) and the reliability of the data provided (where the respondent may not have felt comfortable revealing sensitive information through an interpreter/other family member, who may not have been aware of the respondent's past or current experiences). To cater for instances where a respondent did not speak English, a small number of interviewers with foreign language skills were trained to conduct PSS interviews and were mainly used for interviews in areas not significantly far from their local area. In these cases the full survey, including the voluntary component, could be conducted and were not classified as proxy interviews. The use of proxy interviews for the compulsory part of the survey had the primary purpose to provide information on the possible under-representation in the survey of particular types of respondents, such as those from a non-English speaking background or with a profound or severe communication disability. The data from these respondents has not been output on the final weighted file, which contains only fully responding respondents. There were approximately 940 interviews conducted using a proxy for the full compulsory component and were classified as an adequate complete interview. Of these, 26% were identified as having a profound or severe disability and 44% were identified as speaking English not well or not at all. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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