Abstract
This paper starts with a discussion of the need for general level of living surveys targeted towards the very old, both for research and the production of statistics. We argue in favour of level of living surveys among the oldest, including questions on living conditions in a number of areas such as health, economy, housing, social relation, activities, political resources, etc. Data of this kind are likely to be of utmost importance, both for the production of reliable descriptive statistics on the living conditions among the elderly, and for the purpose of research on ageing.
The main part of the paper, then, is directed towards two key issues in the planning and undertaking of such studies, namely the need for a low non-response rate and for medically valid information on health and functional capacity. These discussions are based on our recent experiences from the level of living survey on the survivors in a large national panel survey, aged 77–98 in 1992.
In order to achieve a low non-response rate, studies of this kind on the oldest old require additional efforts in survey planning and operation. Similarly, relevant and medically valid data on health and functional ability requires that special attention is paid to questionnaire construction and interviewer training.
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Lundberg, O., Thorslund, M. Fieldwork and measurement considerations in surveys of the oldest old. Social Indicators Research 37, 165–187 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315527
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315527