Respondent Attrition Versus Data Attrition and Their Reduction

Abstract

Panel attrition, or the loss of recruited members from a panel of respondents from whom longitudinal data are being collected, poses a serious risk to the validity of the results produced by panel data. Panel attrition is costly both monetarily and in terms of the effects on data quality and this chapter argues that there may be some benefit in shifting focus from minimizing respondent attrition from a panel to minimizing data attrition from the panel dataset. Using examples from important panels such as the Educational Longitudinal Survey (ELS) and the National Longitudinal Survey (NLS), it also proposes a number of strategies for minimizing the negative effects of panel attrition on longitudinal datasets, including targeted monetary incentives and long-term recontact strategies.