TY  - JOUR
T1  - MInimum response rates for survey research
AU  - Livingston EH, Wislar JS
Y1  - 2012/02/01
N1  - 10.1001/archsurg.2011.2169
JO  - Archives of Surgery
SP  - 110
EP  - 110
VL  - 147
IS  - 2
N2  - 
In the interest of brevity, the answer can be simplified to a matter of bias. Several types of bias and error may be at play in any survey, but the most obvious one is nonresponse bias, which occurs when nonrespondents differ in significant ways from respondents on the variables of interest. Nonresponse bias is particularly salient when the topic is considered sensitive and the respondents would prefer to not discuss such matters. In a study like the Oreskovich et al study, surgeons who drink more heavily are potentially less likely to respond, which might underestimate the prevalence of alcohol abuse.

SN  - 0004-0010
M3  - doi: 10.1001/archsurg.2011.2169
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archsurg.2011.2169
ER  -