Random Digit Dialing

Definition

Random Digit Dialing (RDD) is a survey sampling technique used to collect public opinion data. It involves generating random telephone numbers, including both listed and unlisted numbers, to reach a representative sample of the population for interviews or surveys.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Random Digit Dialing helps overcome coverage error by including both listed and unlisted telephone numbers, ensuring a more representative sample of the population.
2. RDD is particularly useful for reaching mobile-only households, which are increasingly common and can be difficult to sample using traditional landline-based methods.
3. The random nature of RDD helps minimize selection bias, as each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the survey.
4. RDD is commonly used in political polling and market research to gather data on public opinion, consumer behavior, and other societal trends.
5. The increasing prevalence of mobile-only households has led to challenges with RDD, as it becomes more difficult to reach a representative sample using only landline numbers.

Review Questions

• Explain how Random Digit Dialing helps address coverage error in public opinion surveys.
  • Random Digit Dialing (RDD) helps address coverage error by including both listed and unlisted telephone numbers in the sampling frame. This ensures that the survey sample is more representative of the target population, as it captures individuals who may not be listed in traditional telephone directories. By reaching a broader cross-section of the population, RDD helps minimize the risk of certain groups being underrepresented or excluded from the survey, which can lead to biased results.
• Describe the challenges that the increasing prevalence of mobile-only households poses for Random Digit Dialing.
  • The growing number of mobile-only households presents challenges for Random Digit Dialing (RDD) as a survey sampling technique. Traditional RDD methods rely primarily on landline telephone numbers, which are becoming less common as more people use only mobile phones. This can lead to coverage error, as mobile-only households may be underrepresented in the sample. To address this issue, researchers may need to incorporate both landline and mobile numbers into their RDD sampling frames, or explore alternative sampling methods that better capture the changing landscape of telephone usage in the population.
• Evaluate the role of Random Digit Dialing in gathering representative data for public opinion research and political polling.
  • Random Digit Dialing (RDD) plays a crucial role in collecting representative data for public opinion research and political polling. By randomly generating telephone numbers, including both listed and unlisted numbers, RDD helps ensure that the survey sample is not biased towards certain demographic groups or individuals with specific characteristics. This allows researchers to make statistical inferences about the broader population's opinions, attitudes, and behaviors. However, the increasing prevalence of mobile-only households poses challenges for RDD, and researchers may need to explore supplementary sampling methods or adjust their techniques to maintain the representativeness of their data. Overall, RDD remains an important tool for gathering reliable and unbiased information on public opinion and political trends.

Related terms

Probability Sampling:

A sampling method where each member of the population has a known, non-zero chance of being selected, allowing for statistical inferences to be made about the population.

Coverage Error: A type of survey error that occurs when the sampling frame does not fully represent the target population, such as when certain groups are underrepresented or excluded.

Landline Phones: Traditional telephone lines that are physically connected to a specific location, as opposed to mobile or wireless phones.