Survey Development and Data Collection

To inform data priorities the ABS convened a PSS Survey Advisory Group (SAG). Members of this group included representatives from state and territory and Commonwealth Government departments, crime research agencies, service providers and relevant academics. During these meetings decisions were made regarding user requirements, special survey procedures and new priority content.

The questionnaire and new content were field tested via cognitive testing and a dress rehearsal. These tests were conducted to ensure:

• data was obtained in an efficient and effective way
• respondent concern about the sensitivity or privacy aspects of the information were addressed
• there was effective respondent/interviewer interaction and minimise respondent burden to acceptable levels
• sufficient information was provided in the question or as part of additional information attached to the question for the respondent to understand and answer the questions appropriately
• operational aspects of the survey were satisfactory, e.g. arrangement of topics, sequencing of questions, adequacy and relevance of response categories and trigram coders, etc.

Targeted interviews with people who were known to have experienced violence were conducted at crisis support centres in Victoria. This phase involved a series of questions being asked to probe the respondent for question meaning, comprehension, areas of sensitivity 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.

As is common practice for ABS surveys, the questionnaire and field procedures were also tested using experienced ABS interviewers. These interviewers undertook specialised survey training (see Interviewer training). The procedures and methods planned for the final survey were also tested (see Survey procedures). This dress rehearsal was conducted in New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia during September 2019.

The broad aims of the dress rehearsal were to:

• test new and modified survey content to ascertain respondent reactions and identify any sensitivities associated with the survey content
• test operational aspects of the survey instrument
• assess the suitability of modified field procedures and the comprehensiveness of overall survey procedures and documentation.

Telephone interviewing (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview or CATI) was developed as a contingency during initial nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns. Following extended lockdowns during the enumeration period in several states/territories, this contingency was initially conducted via two small trials with survey participants. The trials took place in the second half of 2021 across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The main aims of the trials were to:

• confirm suitability of conducting the survey over the phone
• test respondent ability to access and use prompt cards online during the survey
• test procedures around maintaining the privacy and safety of the respondent.

Feedback from interviewers involved in the first trial was used to update interviewer instructions and procedures prior to the second trial.  As a result of generally positive responses to the trials, CATI was approved as a collection mode for broader use throughout enumeration in early 2022.

A Computer Assisted Interview (CAI) instrument was used for the 2021-22 PSS. It contained:

• a household form (which could be completed via Computer-Assisted Personal Interview – CAPI; Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview – CATI; or Computer-Assisted Web Interview – CAWI)
• a personal questionnaire (which could be completed via Computer-Assisted Personal Interview – CAPI; Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview – CATI; or, for part of the content, Computer-Assisted Self-Interview – CASI).

The household form collected from a 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-allocated sex to be interviewed. If there was no in-scope person of the pre-allocated sex in the household, an in-scope person of the opposite sex was selected. If there was no adult identified as the opposite sex either, the household was not in scope. For more details refer to the Sample design and selection section of the Sampling chapter of this publication.

The survey questionnaire was designed and thoroughly tested according to standard ABS procedures. Factors taken into consideration included:

• the length and wording of questions
• the suitability of response categories
• the sensitivity of the topics and issues to be covered
• the ability of people to recall events which occurred in the past
• minimising and simplifying instructions
• the logical sequence of the instrument
• the length of interviews.

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/CATI) or respondents (during a CASI/CAWI) in several different ways, such as:

• Predetermined response categories – This approach was used for recording answers where a limited range of responses were expected, or where the focus of interest was on a particular group of responses. Response categories were listed in the survey instrument and were expected to cover all possible responses.
• Running prompt (CAPI/CATI only) – In these questions, predetermined response categories were read out to the respondent one at a time until the respondent indicated agreement to one or more of the categories (as appropriate to the topic) or until all predetermined categories were exhausted.
• Prompt cards (CAPI/CATI only) – Where appropriate, printed (or online for CATI) lists covering the range of possible answers to the question were shown to the respondent who was asked to select the most relevant response(s). Prompt cards were also used to provide extra information that may have assisted the respondent with answering the question. By listing a set of possible responses (either in the form of a prompt card or running prompt question) the prompt cards served to clarify the question or to present various alternatives, to help assist the respondent to select an appropriate response.
• Responses for coding – This method was used for content such as identifying family groups in a household, country of birth, and current study and education qualification questions. Responses were recorded by the interviewer and either automatically coded by the instrument or subsequently coded by office staff. For further detail regarding this coding, see the Data Processing and Coding chapter of this publication.

A copy of the 2021-22 PSS Questionnaire and prompt cards are available under Downloads.

The survey content was split into compulsory content and voluntary content. The compulsory content covered the topics of:

• Household characteristics and Family composition
• Housing
• General demographics (respondent and current partner)
• Visa status
• Ancestry (respondent and current partner)
• Language (respondent and current partner)
• Sexual orientation
• Current and Non-school Education (respondent and current partner)
• Employment (respondent and current partner)
• Australian Defence Force service
• Income (respondent, current partner and household)
• Disability
• Health
• Financial stress
• Social connectedness
• General feelings of safety

The voluntary content covered the topics of:

• Sexual harassment (in the last 12 months)
• Violence (since the age of 15)
• Characteristics of the most recent incident of violence (in the last 10 years)
• Physical and sexual abuse (before the age of 15)
• Witnessing violence between parent and partner (before the age of 15)
• Current/previous partner violence (since the age of 15)
• Current/previous partner emotional abuse (since the age of 15)
• Current/previous partner economic abuse (since the age of 15)
• Stalking (since the age of 15)

Information was collected by specially trained ABS interviewers who agreed to work on the survey.

Prior to 2021-22 PSS, a female interviewing panel was used. This was based on expert advice and supported by the SAG indicating that, on balance, men and women are more likely to feel comfortable revealing sensitive information about their possible experiences of violence to a woman, and therefore would also encourage participation. In 2012 and 2016, male interviewers were available only if requested by the respondent (which did not occur).

To assist with the regular review of procedures, in 2016 feedback was collected after the interview from around a quarter of the respondents on whether they preferred a male or female interviewer to conduct the survey. This feedback confirmed that female respondents had a strong preference for female interviewers, particularly when they had sensitive experiences of violence and abuse to report. Whereas the large majority of male respondents did not identify a preference either way. Therefore in 2021-22, female interviewers conducted surveys with both male and female respondents, and, for the first time, male interviewers were introduced to the survey interviewer panel to conduct surveys with male respondents. In addition, the use of the Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (CASI) provided an alternative for those people who felt uncomfortable reporting their experiences directly to an interviewer (for more details on the CASI, see Interviews in Survey procedures section of this chapter).

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 therefore not classified as proxy interviews (see Proxy Interviews in Survey procedures section of this chapter).

Specialised PSS Interviewer training was provided to ensure all interviewers used a standardised approach.

The training program included sessions to familiarise the interviewers with:

• the concepts addressed in the survey (definitions)
• the specialised survey procedures developed for the survey including sensitive approach methods to maximise response, and private interview requirements
• multiple survey modes used to collect information
• administrative aspects of the survey.

In addition, Sensitivity and Awareness Training sessions were led by external psychologists and aimed to increase interviewers' awareness of the experience of violence, particularly family, domestic and sexual violence, and their own response to the topic. It also provided techniques to assist interviewers to look after themselves and to react professionally and appropriately to the topics addressed in the survey.

Training of the ABS interviewers was conducted in a variety of formats:

• Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions interviewers attended a two day face-to-face comprehensive training workshop.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, interviewers were trained via online video conference, video presentations and one-on-one virtual practice sessions. They were also extensively trained in conducting Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews and were given instruction manuals to assist. This training emphasised the importance of only conducting a CATI when the respondent was in a private setting, as per face-to-face (CAPI) procedures.
• After COVID-19 pandemic restrictions had eased, interviewers in states which experienced long-term lockdown restrictions were given a one-day online refresher training course.

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 a counsellor hotline, a contact person in the office, and the provision of voluntary emotional debriefing sessions. Interviewers were strongly encouraged to use this network.

While standard ABS survey procedures were generally 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.

For the 2021-22 PSS, an official letter and registration process (for registering contact details) were used to inform chosen households that had been selected to participate in the survey. As part of maintaining confidentiality and the safety of the respondent, information regarding the sensitive content of the survey was kept to a minimum in this material.

As such, prior to enumeration, all selected households were sent pre-approach material by mail that consisted of the following:

• Registration letter and leaflet, sent to the dwelling prior to the commencement of the enumeration round they had been chosen for.
• Reminder letter(s), sent prior to interviewers commencing in the field.

The registration and reminder letters contained the log-on credentials to register and complete an online Household Form via a Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI) (see Household Details section below). The CAWI was also 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. There was a respondent help line to assist households with registration or to help with any other queries related to the survey. If not already completed, the Household Form could also be completed via CATI when the help line was called.

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 online, the interviewer called the respondent to arrange a suitable time to conduct the interview. If household contact details weren’t registered, the interviewer approached the house in person.

Due to the sample requirements (for more details see Sampling chapter of this publication), each dwelling had an initially predetermined sex allocated. So that interviewers could tailor their approach, a series of screening questions were asked of the person answering the door, to determine the number of usual residents aged 18 years and over, and then how many were male and how many were female. 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 pre-allocated sex in the household and the person at the door was that sex, or there was no-one of the pre-allocated sex but there was one person of the opposite sex (referred to as sex-selection ‘flipped’ household))
• if further details of the usual residents would need to be collected to determine who would be selected for interview.

Interviewers were provided with specific training aimed at assisting them in gaining cooperation for the survey to ensure the highest response rates possible. With the first part of the 2021-22 PSS being compulsory, interviewers were also able to advise of people’s obligation to participate in the survey.

General characteristics of the household were obtained from any responsible adult (ARA) member of the household, either over the phone (if the ARA had registered and provided their contact details, the ARA called the help line and agreed to complete the household form at that time, or via the completion of the CAWI household form) 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) (for more details see Survey Questionnaire and Content section of this chapter).

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’ sex was selected for inclusion in the survey.

If the dwelling contained no usual residents aged 18 years or over, or a male interviewer found the household only contained female residents upon face-to-face contact, no further information was collected from that household.

Personal interviews were conducted with one randomly selected person aged 18 years or over who was a usual resident of the selected household. Interviews were conducted from March 2021 to May 2022. Contact time for fully responding interviews was, on average, around 35 minutes.

The 2021-22 PSS was conducted under the authority of the Census and Statistics Act 1905. This ensures that the ABS has the authority to ask questions and that the confidentiality provisions of the Act will be applied, as in all ABS surveys. However, because of the potential sensitivities of parts of this survey, the compliance provisions of the Act were not fully applied and the survey was conducted on a part voluntary basis.

Respondents were first advised of the general nature of the survey. During the interview, less sensitive questions were asked first, such as questions about their education, employment details and general feelings of safety. This allowed people to become comfortable with the interview format, to build a certain level of rapport with the interviewer and to also familiarise them with the survey content. At the end of this set of questions (referred to as the compulsory content), 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 of the survey, for face-to-face interviews (CAPIs), the respondent was provided the option for the interview to continue as a CASI, that is, the respondent could complete the interview themselves using the interviewers’ laptop. The CASI mode was introduced for the PSS in 2016 as part of a review of collection procedures for the sensitive content, 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, thereby protecting the respondent’s privacy in circumstances where they did not feel comfortable discussing the topics. 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 (as a CAPI).

It was a specific requirement that all surveys conducted as a CAPI 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 to avoid disruption. This applied to CATIs as well, with interviewers being advised to request the respondent set themselves up in a private location for the phone call.  If the sensitive topics could not be conducted in a private setting for either a CAPI or a CATI, the interviewers were advised to arrange to reschedule the remainder of the interview.  If the respondent chose to complete the voluntary component as a CASI, interviewers were advised that they should ensure that other people could not see the screen, 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 2,310 respondents chose not to proceed with the 2021-22 PSS beyond the Opt-out point (classified for PSS 2021-22 as an adequate complete interview). Prior to PSS 2016, most of these respondents may have refused either at the door or before commencing their personal interview as a result of those cycles being fully voluntary.

For more details on the characteristics of CASI, CAPI and CATI respondents, see the Response Rates section of the Sampling chapter of this publication.

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. The ABS provided an information card containing contact details of support services. This card was offered to all people during the sensitive, voluntary component of the interview (i.e. from the Opt-out point onwards).

For the 2021-22 PSS, the option of proxy interviews was available if required. Proxy interviews, for selected questions in the compulsory part of the survey, were offered to respondents who were unable to participate in interviews due to any of the following reasons:

• language barriers that required interpretation by a household member
• significant illness/injury/disability which prevented them from being able to answer for themselves at any time
• an ABS translator could not be organised.

For proxy interviews, a household member of the respondent’s choosing was able to answer the compulsory questions in the survey on the respondent’s behalf. These questions included demographic information such as household information, ancestry, visa status, language, education, employment, income, disability, social connectedness and general feelings of safety.

For proxy 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).

The use of proxy interviews for the compulsory part of the survey had the primary purpose of providing 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.

There were approximately 440 interviews conducted using a proxy for the full compulsory component and were classified as an adequate complete interview. For more information about response status by selected characteristics, refer to the Response Rates section of the Sampling chapter of this publication.