In this paper we measure and analyse the dynamics of the actual and perceived response burden in the main business surveys conducted by Banca d'Italia. We also investigate the relationship between the response burden and some data quality indicators.
We find evidence of a significant increase in the actual burden over time, which has contributed to amplifying the perceived burden. Our results also show a clear link between a respondent's perceived effort and the probability of not answering some important questions (such as those relating to expectations of future investments and turnover) or of dropping out of the survey. Further, we find that firms reporting a high perceived burden tend to provide inaccurate answers to quantitative questions (such as those regarding turnover) and to choose the first plausible response when confronted with complex questions.
Published in 2021 in: Journal of Official Statistics, v. 37, 4, pp. 811-836
