The survey response rate is the ratio of the estimate of units interviewed after data collection is complete to the estimate of all units that should have been interviewed. Separate rates are calculated for housing unit response and GQ person response. For housing units, this means all interviews after mail, telephone and personal visit follow-up. For GQ persons, this means all interviews after the personal visit. Interviews include complete and partial interviews with enough information to be processed.
All final noninterviews have been grouped into one of the following Reasons for Noninterviews:
Even though the ACS is a mandatory survey and households whose addresses are selected and GQ persons who are selected for the survey are required to answer the survey questions, a few are reluctant to cooperate and refuse to participate.
If the interviewer cannot find the sample address after using all possible sources, they consider it "unable to locate". For GQ persons, the individual could not be located.
Interviewers assign this code if they could not find anyone at the housing unit during the entire month's interview period. There is no equivalent rate for GQ persons.
The interviewers confirm that all household members or the GQ person are away during the entire month's interview period on vacation, a business trip, or caring for sick relatives.
The interviewer could not conduct an interview because of language barriers, was not able to get an interpreter who could translate, and the supervisor or regional office could not help complete this case.
To be considered an interviewed unit in ACS, a household or GQ person's response needs to have a minimum amount of data. Occupied housing units and GQ persons not meeting this minimum are treated as noninterviews in the estimation process. Responses for vacant housing units are not subject to a minimum data requirement
Unique situations when the reason for noninterview does not fit into one of the classifications described above. Possible reasons include "death in the family", "household quarantined", or "roads impassable".
Some group quarters refuse to allow the ACS to interview any of their residents, citing legal or other reasons.
These account for other situations where no one in the GQ was interviewed due to reasons other than refusals.
