Meeting Data Collection Goals Quicker: An Experimental Evaluation to Reduce Fieldwork Duration in a Mixed-Mode Panel Study

Abstract An experiment was implemented in the 2023 wave of a US household panel study to assess the effects of a shortened field period on data collection outcomes. Following the recent adoption of sequential mixed-mode designs by panel studies worldwide, it has been observed that interview completion for respondents offered the initial mode of web is faster compared to those initially offered the telephone. This study describes an experiment designed to evaluate whether the new mixed-mode designs can support an accelerated field period and achieve cost savings while still meeting fieldwork goals. We assessed a shorter field period of 20 weeks against the standard 28-week field period and randomized study participants to each condition. The treatment group received accelerated fieldwork protocols over a 20-week data collection period, and a control group received the same protocols over the standard 28-week period. We compare the effect of the shortened duration on fieldwork outcomes, including response rates, sample composition, interviewer effort, time to interview completion, survey costs, and interview quality. We find that the accelerated protocol yields higher response rates, lower interviewer effort, and cost savings with no differences in sample composition or decrements to interview quality. We describe the strengths and limitations of the study and provide suggestions for future research on fieldwork duration.