Sampling Telephone Numbers and Adults, Interview Length, and Weighting in the California Health Interview Survey Cell Phone Pilot Study (Public Opinion Quarterly)

Abstract: This article describes several features included in a California Health Interview Survey cell phone pilot study that differ from earlier cell phone surveys conducted in the United States. One difference is that the study used a screening design and only adults living in cell-only households were interviewed. Most of the previous studies used dual frame designs. Another difference was the development and implementation of a within-household adult sampling procedure to cover adults when cell phones were shared in the household. The study was also intended to determine if conducting a cell phone interview of the same scope and length as a regular telephone interview was feasible.Most previous surveys were focused on cell phone topics and were shorter than the comparable landline surveys.We then explore some interesting problems that arise in weighting a cell phone survey using a screening design. We conclude with a discussion of planning a new cell phone survey in 2007 that incorporates findings from this study.

• J. Michael Brick
• W. Sherman Edwards
• Sunghee Lee