Item nonresponse on asset questions and interviewer effects

This project focuses on income and asset item nonresponse rates in SHARE. This research is based on the SHARE Wave 5 refreshment sample from Germany. The first objective is to determine to what extent item nonresponse is subject to interviewer effects, for the different types of nonresponse (“don’t know” and “refuse to answer”) to household income, bank balance, and interest and dividend income. The second objective is to examine which interviewer characteristics matter in this context. Preliminary results show that interviewers have a notable influence on both types of item nonresponse. Moreover, it transpires that interviewer expectations about the respondents’ reporting behavior are significantly correlated with item nonresponse.