When respondents participate in a survey, is the idea of response burden a one-time phenomenon, or is it an issue that occurs throughout the survey experience? Does this burden affect how respondents answer the surveys? And is there an established way to measure response burden? According to new research published in Journal of Official Statistics, Response Burden – Review and Conceptual Framework, respondents experience 3 types of burden—initial burden, cumulative burden, and continuous burden—all of which affect the respondent at different points throughout the survey. Westat’s Ting Yan, PhD, is the lead author of this research.

In the conceptual framework, response burden is portrayed as a dynamic and interactive process throughout the survey’s lifespan. This framework can be used to clarify contradictory findings and guide methodological research.