An examination of nonresponse in a study on daily family life : I do not have time to participate, but I can tell you something about our life

Abstract

The aim of this study was to look at the issue of nonresponse and self-selection bias in the context of a family study on daily family life. Data on the participating families and refusers were gathered as part of the wider Palette study in which questionnaires and diaries were used as data collection methods. On the basis of these data (N = 208 participating families and 119 refuser families), we profile the families left outside the study. The parents who declined to participate in the Palette study were asked to fill in a short refusal form, which included questions concerning their family background and reasons for refusal, and they were also asked to write freely about their everyday life. We found the refuser families to have less-educated mothers and more children than the participating families. On the basis of a qualitative analysis, three life situations which refusers considered too demanding to allow participation in the study were found. The challenges of reaching nonparticipants and the generalizability of the findings are discussed.