Cell Phone Reverse Directories ± Promise or Peril?

D\¶ s survey climate, in which coverage error due to cell phone-only households can be very large depending on the target population (Blumberg and Luke, 2007). Methods for conducting these surveys have seen great strides in development over the past five years; however two major problems have not been resolved. First, researchers have been unable to find a method of purging cell phone samples of non-working or non-residential numbers prior to data collection, resulting in inefficiency in working these samples relative to landline RDD samples. Second, no method of matching mailing addresses with cell phone numbers has been identified, which prevents mailing of advance letters and prenotification of the survey request. This second point is amplified by the fact that most cell phone studies offer financial incentives. Without a method of communicating news of incentives prior to making contact, cooperation rates are likely diminished as a result.