A SWISS SURVEY LANDSCAPE FOR
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
Dr. Boris Wernli
Head of Survey Unit
FORS, c/o University of Lausanne
USI, Lugano, 2010 June 15, Institute of Communication and Health
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A SWISS SURVEY LANDSCAPE FOR
COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
• survey typology
• swiss survey landscape (availability, periodicity and
national coverage)
• Swiss Health Survey
• Swiss Household Panel
• SHARE project
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representative surveys
•
•
•
•
•
random sample ----- statistical inference
probabilistic interpretation
cases = anonymous individuals
data collected by sampling and surveying
problems related to unit and item nonresponse
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different survey designs
no survey can satisfy everybody’s needs in terms of
– topical interests
– hypothesis to test
– precision
– available time
– ressources
–…
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survey design I
– apart topical interest
– who’s interviewed? what is the mother
population of interest?
• general population?
• adults?
• electors?
• specific group ? (students,
pensioners, children, internet users,
etc.)
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survey design II
–What is our perspective?
situation at a given moment? for instance « who is now
affected by a specific condition? »
– cross-sectional survey
trend at aggregated level ? for instance, « change in
prevalence concerning a specific condition? »
– repeated cross-sectional survey
– same questionnaire
– different samples
trajectory at individual level? for instance, « who gets
affected, who gets cured ? »
– panel or cohort survey
– same questionnaire
– same respondents interviewed several times
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a survey typology
unique
cross
sectional
repeated
cross
sectional
panel
cohort
rotating
panel
retrospective
survey
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universality XXXX
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X
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subjective
indicators
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X
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X
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X
X
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crosssectional
precision
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net change
gross
change
cost
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X
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swiss survey landscape
official repeated cross-sectional surveys I
Surveys
Household
Budget
Survey
Freq.
Unit of
data
collection
Sample
size
Population
target
Topical
orientation
Interview
mode
general
population
income,
consumption
CATI +
paper-andpencil
general
population
health,
behaviour
related to
health
CATI +
paper-andpencil
household
3,000
households
every 5
years
individual
12,000
persons +
cantonal
oversampl.
Structural
Survey
annual
household
+
individual
200,000
persons
general
population
basic objective
information
Paper-andpencil or
CAWI
Mobility
and
transports
every 5
years
individual
40,000
persons
general
population
transports,
mobility
CATI
Swiss
Health
Survey
annual
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swiss survey landscape
official repeated cross-sectional surveys II
Surveys
Frequency
Education
every 5
and training years
Families
and
generations
every 5
years
Language,
religion and every 5
culture
years
Unit of
data
collection
individual
individual
individual
Sample
size
10,000
persons
10,000
persons
10,000
persons
Population
target
Topical
orientation
Interview
mode
education,
training
CATI (+
paper-andpencil or
CAWI)
general
population
family,
fertility
CATI (+
paper-andpencil or
CAWI)
general
population
languages,
religion,
culture,
leisure
CATI (+
paper-andpencil or
CAWI)
general
population
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swiss survey landscape
academic driven repeated cross-sectional
surveys I
Surveys
Frequency
World Values
Survey
every 5
years
European
Values Study
every 9
years
Swiss
Electoral
Studies
every 4
years
Unit of
data
collection
Sample
size
Population
target
Topical
orientation
Interview
mode
individual
1,200
persons
general
population
values, trust
CAPI
individual
1,200
persons
general
population
values, trust
CAPI
Swiss
electors
political
behaviour and
attitudes
CATI
individual
4,400
persons
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swiss survey landscape
academic driven repeated cross-sectional
surveys II
Surveys
Frequency
MOSAiCH
ISSP
every 2
years
European
Social
Survey
every 2
years
Unit of
data
collection
Sample
size
Population
target
Topical
orientation
Interview
mode
individual
1,000
persons
general
population
values and
attitudes
CAPI
general
population
values,
trust,
attitudes
CAPI
individual
2,000
persons
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swiss survey landscape
official longitudinal surveys
Surveys
Type
Swiss
Labour Force rotating
Survey
panel, 5
(SLFS)
years
Statistics on
Income and
Living
Conditions
(SILC)
rotating
panel, 4
years
Unit of
data
collection
Sample
size
individual
45,000
persons
(30,000+
15,000
foreigners)
household
+ all
members
Population
target
Topical
orientation
Interview
mode
general
population
work income,
labour market,
employment,
education
CATI
living
conditions,
employment,
income, health,
social
participation
CATI
6,900
households,
11,300
general
persons
population
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swiss survey landscape
academic driven longitudinal surveys I
Surveys
SHP
TREE
Type
panel
cohort study,
annual (20012007)
Unit of
data
collection
household
+ all
members
individual
Sample
size
7500
HH
11’400
persons
5,500
persons
Population
target
Topical
orientation
Interview
mode
general
population
general, multipurpose
CATI (+
paper-andpencil for
biographical
questionnaire)
young
school
leavers in
2000
education,
employment,
labour market,
transition from
school to labourmarket
CATI + paperand-pencil
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swiss survey landscape
academic driven longitudinal surveys II
Surveys
Type
Unit of
data
collection
Sample
size
Population
target
1,000
persons
noninstitutional
ized
population
aged 50 and health,
more
economics
CAPI +
paper-andpencil
children
and youth
CAPI +
paper-andpencil
SHARE
cohort
household
study, every + some
2 years
members
COCON
cohort
school +
study, every household
3,100
3 years
+ individual persons
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Topical
orientation
life course
transitions
Interview
mode
the Swiss Health Survey I
•
•
•
•
realized by the SFO
every 5 years, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, next in 2012
repeated cross-sectional, CATI + drop-off paper questionnaire
very large sample (12’000 national + cantonal oversampling 
19’000)
• general population (15 and older)
• data collected during the whole year- seasonal variations
• data disponibility
– SUF
complete file, with contract, charge but discount…
– PUS
reduced version, no contract, free, download
• limited set of sociodemo variables (privacy)
• downloadable from end of 2010 on FORS COMPASS site
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the Swiss Health Survey II
• International (and national) comparability
– 18 items European Health Interview Surveys (EHIS) (Eurostat +
WHO)
•
•
•
•
•
EHSM (health status)
EHDM (health determinants)
EHCM (health care)
EBM (background variables)
MEHM, 3 items Minimum European Health Module
– general health
– chronic condition
– activity restriction
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the SHP (Swiss Household Panel)
www.swisspanel.ch
Swiss Household Panel
• a survey on living conditions of the Swiss population
• principal aim: monitor social change
• the Swiss Household Panel is originally (1999) a joint project of the
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF), the Swiss Federal
Statistical Office and the University of Neuchâtel.
• since January 2008, the SHP is part of the Swiss Competence
Center for Social Research FORS at the University of Lausanne.
• financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation
• ressources: ± 8 full-time jobs, pluridisciplinary team
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Characteristics of SHP
• started 1999, yearly  11 waves available
• household survey (individual questionnaires with all householdmembers 14 years old and older)
• panel survey: individuals are followed over time
• large sample (3200 – 7500 HH, 5200–11’400 P per year)
• CATI-survey (Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews)
• interviews in German, French and Italian
• various disciplines covered (social sciences in a broad sense)
• objective and subjective questions
• complex survey
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Interviewed individuals SHP 1999-2009 / SILC
2004-2005
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2009
2008
SILC_II
2007
2006
2005
SILC_I
2004
2003
PSM_II
2002
2001
1999
12000
11000
10000
9000
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2000
PSM_I
survey realized with
5+1 complementary questionnaires
1. GRID : household composition, basic characteristics of members (sex,
birthyear, occupation, civil status, nationality), relations between members +
adress, phone numbers, etc.
2. HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONNAIRE with reference person
3. INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONNAIRE, for persons 14 and older
4. PROXY QUESTIONNAIRE: for persons under 14 or unable to answer
5. BIOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE (paper) : unique, 2001-2002
6. INTERVIEWERS QUESTIONNAIRE (paper)
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Topics of the survey
Socio-economic variables: socio-demographic characteristics, education, work,
housing, income and standard of living + social origins (mother and father’s
education, etc.)
→ social stratification and mobility
Events: Marriage, Birth, Death, Illness, Accident, Conflicts etc.
→ Life cycle, but also “accidents” of life
Social, political and cultural participation: social networks, associations, votes,
elections, parties, leisure activities
→ Integration, social relationships, political behavior
Perceptions and values: feeling of poverty, insecurity, confidence, gender equality
→ Representation, values, social capital
Psychological scales and mesures: Big Five Ten, risk aversion, self-efficacy since
W11
Satisfaction and health: Self-evaluations, various pains, chronic handicaps, (tobacco
since W12)
→ Quality of life, health sociology, public health
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individual level – health module
partly compatible EHIS
« objective » elements »
• troubles and problems
– back
– sleeping
– weakness, weariness
– headaches
• doctor’s visits, hospitalisation
• medication
• weight, height
• present and former smoking (w12)
• physical activity
• number of days affected
• long term illness or condition
– cause
– since when
« subjective » elements
•
•
•
•
•
health status
change in health since last wave
satisfaction of health status
impediment in everyday activities
depression and optimism
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Data structure I
data and documentation files download
• 2 annual files (now 11 waves available)
– households
– individuals
5 data files «all waves»
– master Persons
– master Household
– social Origin
– last job
– activities calendar
• additional files
– biographic questionnaire
– interviewer data
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Data structure II
• additional data (on demand)
– Contact data (from centralized CATI)
– Imputed income (of income variable in annual CD)
– Geographic data (municipalities)
– SILC Pilot-Study (2004, 2005)
• data access
– Sign contract (www.swisspanel.ch)
– code for dowload sent by e-mail
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International household panels landscape
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SHP CNEF-Data
• Demographics: all
• Employment: all
• Medical/health: partly available
• Equivalence scale inputs, location, psychological, weights,
identifiers: all
• Yearly income
– Not available: Imputed rental income, Household Federal Taxes,
Household Private Retirement Income
– Household taxes completely simulated
– Imputed item non-response and unit non-response
– Imputation method: depending on variable
• Little and Su (distinguished by education groups)
• Carry over (for stable social security pensions)
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SHP – analytical perspectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
cross-sectional « classic » analysis
matching partners and/or children data
matching parents-children data not living together (social origin)
three generations models
multilevel modeling (individual, household, commune, canton, etc.)
repeated cross sectional – trends at aggregated level
• longitudinal analysis
– event history analysis (survival analysis, discret time logistics,
Cox regression)
– study sequences (optimal matching, TraMiner)
– change on continuous variables (LMM, growth curve models,
SEM, etc.)
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Thank you!
www.swisspanel.ch
swisspanel@fors.unil.ch
boris.wernli@fors.unil.ch
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