Testing summary tables in the life history questions of the UK Generations and Gender Survey

Collecting data about retrospective events is important for understanding the lifecourse. However, little is known about the best way to collect these data, especially in a self-completion online survey. This paper examines whether including summary tables after asking respondents a series of life history questions helps improve respondents’ recall of the month and year these events occurred. 

The authors used a technique commonly used at the questionnaire design and testing stage called ‘cogability testing’ (combination of cognitive interview and usability testing) in the survey design phase of the UK Generations and Gender Survey. Contrary to expectations, the summary tables did not improve data quality; instead, respondents raised concerns about data privacy and safety, with some even requesting their data to be removed. While these findings are based on a small sample size and not generalizable, they provide insights suggesting that researchers and survey practitioners need to explore other ways of collecting life history data.

This article was first published in the Survey Practice e-journal.