DIGIT PREFERENCE, RECALL BIAS, AND NONRESPONSE BIAS IN SELF-REPORTS OF ANGLING PARTICIPATION

Explored in this study is the role of digit preference as a response s tyle that helps explain the problems of recall and nonresponse bias in self-report surveys of recreation participation. Digit preference is a tendency to guess participation by rounding estimates to values that end in zero or five. Recall bias was assessed by comparing three sepa rate recall periods: extended, intermediate, and short. Nonresponse bi as was assessed by conducting telephone interviews with subjects who h ad not responded to the initial requests. The dependent variable was t he total number of days fished per month from April to June 1989. Anal ysis of variance and chi-Square were used to explore the relationships among the three sources of bias. A significant Recall x Nonresponse x Digit Preference interaction was found. Results suggest that bias tra ditionally attributable to recall and nonresponse may be a function of digit preference. Ways of controlling for the effects of the three so urces of bias on recreation participation estimates are discussed