2016 Recruitment Pretest Study
About the Dataset
- ANES Special Study
- Sample universe: U.S. citizens age 18 or older
- Design: Address-based sample and mail recruitment, and Internet interviews, with experimental manipulation of incentives, invitations, and screening modes
- Number of waves: 2 (to approximate the ANES Times Series pre-election and post-election interviews)
- Completions: “Pre-election”: 714; “Post-election”: 596
- Mode: Internet
- Weight: “HHFACTOR” accounts for household selection probability for all households sampled. For respondents who completed the surveys, use the poststratified weight variable “Weight” for any substantive analyses.
Study Content Highlights
The ANES 2016 Recruitment Pretest Study was a methodological test of experimental survey methods to prepare for the internet component of the ANES 2016 Time Series Study. The purpose of the study was to optimize methods to recruit a representative probability sample of adult U.S. citizens by mail to respond to a two-wave panel survey on the Internet, and to achieve a high response rate.
In addition to its test of recruitment methods, the study also, incidentally, administered an entire ANES Times Series-type questionnaire to a representative sample of potential voters during the 2016 presidential campaign season. Data collection for the “pre-election” interview (based on the ANES 2012 Time Series pre-election questionnaire ) ran from February 1, 2016 to April 4, 2016 for the main sample. Data collection for the “post-election” interview (based on the ANES 2012 Time Series post-election questionnaire ) ran from April 6, 2016 to May 27, 2016 for the main sample. For the 200 cases in the supplemental sample, data collection for the “pre-election” interview ran from March 7, 2016 to May 6, 2016, and data collection for the “post-election” interview ran from May 11, 2016 to July 1, 2016.
Weights Summary
There are two weight variables included in this dataset. The first weight variable Weight represents the poststratified weights that should be used when conducting substantive analyses. These weights are available for respondents who completed the Pre questionnaire. Please see the Methodology report for more information on the construction of the variable Weight. The second weight variable HHFACTOR accounts for household selection probability only and is intended for methodological analysis of the data, such as computing response rates.