Partial Completion

The partial completion survey disposition is used in all types of surveys, regardless of mode. In a telephone or in-person interview, a partial completion results when the respondent provides answers for some of the questions on the survey questionnaire that were asked by the interviewer but is unable or unwilling to allow the interviewer to administer all of the questions in the interview (item nonresponse). Partial completions in telephone or in-person surveys can occur when an appointment or other commitment prevents the respondent from completing the interview or when the respondent begins the interview but then refuses to complete the entire interview process (called a "break-off"). In a mail survey, a partial completion results when the respondent receives a paper-and-pencil survey questionnaire, answers only some of the questions on the questionnaire, and returns the questionnaire to the researcher. In an Internet survey, a partial completion occurs when the respondent logs into the survey, enters answers for some of the questions in the questionnaire, and submits the questionnaire electronically to the researcher. If a partial is not a hostile breakoff, most survey firms attempt to recontact the respondent who completed the partial interview (by telephone, mail, or Internet, depending on the survey mode) in order to attempt to get a completed interview.

In practice, the difference between completed interviews, partial completions, and breakoffs is that completed interviews contain the smallest number of item nonresponses, while breakoffs contain the largest number of item nonresponses. Most survey organizations have developed rules that explicitly define the difference among breakoffs, partial completions, and completed interviews. Common rules used by survey organizations to determine whether an interview with item non-response can be considered a completed interview include (a) the proportion of all applicable questions answered, and (b) the proportion of critically important or essential questions administered. For example, cases in which a respondent has answered fewer than 50% of the applicable questions might be defined as breakoffs; cases in which the respondent has answered between 50% and 90% of the applicable questions might be defined as partial completions; and cases in which the respondent has answered more than 90% of applicable questions might be considered completed interviews.