Weiterentwicklung der amtlichen Haushaltsstatistiken - RatSWD

Methodological challenges in data collection regarding
education and training in the German Microcensus
The German national reports on education, the Europe 2020 strategy of the
European Commission as well as the priorities of the European Statistical Programme
2013-2017 put high demands on the German Microcensus regarding
the information on individual education and training.
Earlier comparisons of the Microcensus data on school attendance with data
from Education Statistics pointed to certain deviations. The questions on school
attendance were modified in the 2008 and 2011 Microcensus. To investigate the
effects of these changes results of the Microcensus and the Education Statistics
for the school years 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2011/12 are compared. The Microcensus
Panel 2001-2004 is used to examine data quality issues with regard to
general and vocational qualifications. The rotating panel survey allows to assess
item stability over time. In combination with the type of interview (interviewer-/
self-administered) and the type of reporting (self/proxy) - however limited -
mode and proxy effects can be assessed.
In terms of school attendance previous deviations to Education Statistics partially
decreased, but overall, there remain substantial differences. Results suggest
that official definitions used in the Microcensus questionnaire do not fully
match respondent’s understanding of the school types and qualification titles.
Especially vocational qualifications show high item inconsistencies. Overall,
the item stability is lower in self-administered than in interviewer-administered
interviews.
Keywords: measurement error; total survey error; mixed modes; self/proxy response;
panel; German Microcensus; Education Statistics.
JEL: I21, C81, C83
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