Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL) 2003: U.S. Nonresponse Bias Analysis

This report provides the results of a systematic analysis of bias due to the nonresponding persons in the 2003 ALL sample. The ALL estimates of literacy-related skills in the United States are subject to potential bias due to nonresponse at various levels of data collection. The ALL survey estimates of literacy-related skills are subject to unit nonresponse from the screener, background questionnaire (BQ), and assessment, and also subject to item nonresponse to BQ items. The unit analyses were composed of a bivariate analysis, multivariate analysis, and an analysis of the weighting effects on nonresponse bias. The item analyses included a similar study into the effect of nonresponse. The general conclusion of the unit analysis is that the potential amount of nonresponse bias due to unit nonresponse in ALL is likely to be negligible. The item nonresponse analysis revealed some low response rates in certain domains and some indication that a potential for bias may exist.

Online Availability

• Download, view and print the report as a pdf file.