Title

rrcalc -- Calculates AAPOR compliant outcome rates, such as response rates, refusal rates, cooperation rates and contact rates.

Syntax

rrcalc varname using
filename [if exp] [, options]

generate(newvar) generates a variable containing the categorized information of the AAPOR compliant input variable

rates(ratelist) display option

replace overwrite existing file, may be combined with using

Description

The rrcalc module calculates AAPOR compliant outcome rates, such as response rates, refusal rates, cooperation rates and contact rates based on a variable which contains the final dispositions of case codes from a survey.
Values that are not compliant with the AAPOR code scheme are treated as missing and are displayed at the end of the output.

This command can produce a text file containing a suggested wording for reporting the AAPOR response rates RR1 and RR3. If filename is specified, it should be specified as *.txt or *.doc.

The command stores all rates and scalars in r().

Ratelist

all display all AAPOR rates

rr display AAPOR response rates

ref display AAPOR refusal rates

coop display AAPOR cooperation rates

con display AAPOR contact rates

Stored results

rrcalc stores the following in r():

Scalars

r(N) Number of observations

r(I) Complete interview (1.1)

r(P) Partial interview (1.2)

r(R) Refusal and break-off (2.1)

r(NC) Non-contact (2.2)

r(O) Other (2.0, 2.3)

r(UH) Unknown if household/occupied HU (3.1)

r(UO) Unknown, other (3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.9)

r(NE) Not eligible cases

r(EE) Eligible cases

r(E) E is the estimated proportion of cases of unknown eligibility that are eligible

r(RR1) Response rate 1

r(RR2) Response rate 2

r(RR3) Response rate 3

r(RR4) Response rate 4

r(RR5) Response rate 5

r(RR6) Response rate 6

r(COOP1) Cooperation rate 1

r(COOP2) Cooperation rate 2

r(COOP3) Cooperation rate 3

r(COOP4) Cooperation rate 4

r(REF1) Refusal rate 1

r(REF2) Refusal rate 2

r(REF3) Refusal rate 3

r(CON1) Contact rate 1

r(CON2) Contact rate 2

r(CON3) Contact rate 3

Examples

. rrcalc dispositioncode, r(rr)

. rrcalc dispositioncode using report.txt, r(all)

. rrcalc dispositioncode, r(con coop) gen(dispositioncodeNew)

Notes

Note on the treatment of the final dispostion codes 2.0, 3.0, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8:

Using the codes 2.0 or 3.0 is not advised. Instead researchers might want to consider more appropriate subcategories. This command treats the disposition code 2.0 (20 - Eligible, non-interview) like 2.3 (23 - Other).
Researchers might want to check whether this assumption is correct and recode the corresponding cases in a more appropriate subcategory.
The disposition code 3.0 (30) is not used in the calculations because its proper use depends on further assumptions.
Researchers need to make the decision to recode 3.0 into one of the available subcategories 3.1-3.5, or 3.9 in order to get correct calculations.
Similarly, because the codes 3.6-3.8 are not defined they are not used in the calculations.

Note on the required format of varname:

The command expects that the final dispositions of case codes are numeric values and either in the format with commas (e.g., 1.1 for complete interview) or without commas (e.g, 11).

References

The American Association for Public Opinion Research. 2015. Standard Definitions: Final Dispositions of Case Codes and Outcome Rates for Surveys. 8th edition. AAPOR.

Authors

Kai Willem Weyandt, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, kai.weyandt@gesis.org

Lars Kaczmirek, GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, lars.kaczmirek@gesis.org

Version

Version 1.1 - 29th October 2015.