The household refusal disposition is used in telephone, in-person, and mail surveys to categorize a case in which contact has been made with a household, but someone in the household has refused either a request by an interviewer to complete an interview (telephone or in-person survey) or a mailed request to complete and return a questionnaire (mail survey). The household refusal typically occurs before a designated respondent is selected. Household refusals are considered eligible cases in calculating response and cooperation rates.

In a telephone survey, a case is coded with the household refusal disposition when an interviewer dials a telephone number, reaches a person, and begins the introductory script, and the person who answers the telephone declines to complete the interview. In calls ending in a ...