Conferences

The elderly population is growing consistently across most European countries. Traditionally, the elderly are included in general population survey as long as they are living in private households. Also, some specialized surveys were conducted among older respondents on their living conditions, on their health and also on their psychological and social well-being. Usually, standard procedures derived from the literature on survey methodology are adapted for surveys in the elderly population. However, several studies have indicated that older respondents are prone to survey error to a larger degree (e.g. unit non-response, item non-response, degree of differentiation, interviewer effects). Also special problems arise during field work (coverage and sampling problems arising from retirement homes and other institutions). This session will focus on the quality of the data obtained from elderly respondents. Papers on one or multiple methodological aspects of surveys in the elderly population are invited. Comparisons with younger respondents and detailed assessments of the quality in surveys among the elderly are equally welcome.