Here - Tilburg University

Author and presenter
Trappmann, Mark
Co-Author
Antje Kirchner; Institute for Employment Research; University of Leipzig
Title
Eliciting illicit work. Item Count and Randomized Response Technique put to the
test
Abstract
We address an ongoing debate how to assess sensitive topics in telephone
surveys. Examining three existing methods and implementing one new method,
we developed a module to measure illicit work and tested this in two CATI
studies (both conducted in 2010). In an experimental setting, we compare a
double-list implementation of the Item Count Technique (ICT) with direct
questioning as well as a forced-response implementation of the Randomized
Response Technique (RRT) with direct questioning. In the first study (ICT;
n=1.603), respondents were selected from the German general population. In
the second study (RRT; n=3.211), respondents of two specific populations were
sampled from a register: employed persons and those qualifying for basic
income support in Germany, i.e. people depending on state transfer payments.
Goal of the studies is to evaluate which method elicits more socially
undesirable answers in the context of illicit work and moonlighting, particularly
with regard to the specific mode of data collection and different subpopulations.
Furthermore, we developed a novel method which can be applied to the
measurement of sensitive metric variables. This method requires no randomizer
and can be easily administered in CATI surveys. Also, in both studies data on a
number of background variables were collected that, according to theory, foster
illicit work. These theories are empirically tested and the results are briefly
discussed in the paper.