GPRES Survey Results and Response Rates Sample Clauses

GPRES Survey Results and Response Rates. Appendix D shows the number of renter and owner observations that Westat obtained by area. Except in Guam and Puerto Rico, Westat obtained a sample that equaled or exceeded the sample size necessary for estimating rent or rental equivalence within a margin of error of +/-$500 in annual rent with a 90 percent confidence level. In all, Westat obtained 6,170 observations. To do this, Westat made more than 152,000 phone calls. Therefore, one simplistic measure of the response rate might be 4 percent (i.e., 6,170 divided by 152,000). Many of those calls, however, particularly in the areas for which commercial phone list data as described in Section 4.2 were unavailable, were screening calls to businesses, facsimile machines, and other non-residential phone numbers. Also, many of the residential respondents (e.g., those occupying rent- controlled or subsidized housing) were not eligible to be part of the survey universe. Therefore, another and perhaps more meaningful way to look at the response rate is to compare the number of respondents with the total number of those who were determined, after the screening questions, to be part of the survey universe. According to Westat, a total of 23,662 respondents passed the screening questions. Using this as a basis, the response rate was 26.1 percent (i.e., 6,170 divided by 23,662). This does not, however, include respondents who become ineligible in the ‘‘extended interview,’’ i.e., the main part of the interview that followed the screening questions. Taking this into consideration, the overall GPRES response rate according to Westat was 28 percent. Appendix D shows this type of response rate for each COLA area and the for Washington, DC area.