How Accurate Are Recall Data? Evidence from Coastal India
This paper investigates the accuracy of recall data by comparing administrative records with retrospective, self-reported survey responses to income and asset questions for a sample of self-employed households from coastal India. It finds that the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/03/15965088/accurate-recall-data-evidence-coastal-india http://hdl.handle.net/10986/19872 |
| Summary: | This paper investigates the accuracy of
recall data by comparing administrative records with
retrospective, self-reported survey responses to income and
asset questions for a sample of self-employed households
from coastal India. It finds that the magnitude of the
recall error increases over time, in part because
respondents rely less on memory and instead infer earnings
based on past earnings. Individuals tend to recall monthly
earnings more accurately when they are higher than the
median. These results imply that the variance estimated from
the self-reported earnings distribution will be lower than
the real one. The paper also finds that data reported by
income earners are more accurate than those by their wives.
In addition, the use of time cues can worsen accuracy if
they are not relevant to the respondent. Where the recall
questions are placed in the two-hour long survey, however,
does not affect accuracy. |
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