The respondent refusal disposition is used in telephone, in-person, mail, and Internet surveys to categorize a case in which contact has been made with the designated respondent, but he or she has refused a request by an interviewer to complete an interview (telephone or in-person survey) or a request to complete and return a questionnaire (mail or Internet survey). A case can be considered a respondent refusal only if the designated respondent has been selected and it is clear that he or she has stated he or she will not complete the interview or questionnaire. Respondent refusals are considered eligible cases in calculating response and cooperation rates.

In a telephone survey, a case is coded with the respondent refusal disposition when an interviewer dials a telephone ...