The Field Experience

The fieldwork for the 1997 NHSDA was directed by the project director and other senior staff members at Research Triangle Institute. A total of 24,505 completed interviews were obtained between January and December 1997. A completed interview had to contain, at a minimum, data on the recency of the respondent's use of marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol.

Strategies for ensuring high rates of participation (described briefly in Appendix B) resulted in an interview response rate of 78.3% for 1997. Of the 24,505 completed interviews, 13,607 were with whites and others (i.e., non-Hispanic, nonblacks), 4,639 were with (non-Hispanic) blacks, and 6,259 were with Hispanics. The response rates for the racial/ethnic groups were 75.5% for whites and others, 81.8% for blacks, and 82.5% for Hispanics.

Throughout the course of the study, the respondents' anonymity and the privacy of their responses were protected by separating identifying information from survey responses. Respondents were assured that their identities and responses would be handled in the strictest confidence in accordance with Federal law. The questionnaire itself and the interviewing procedures were designed to enhance the privacy of responses, especially during segments of the interview in which questions of a sensitive nature were posed. Show cards were displayed when questions concerning illicit drug use were asked, and respondents were asked to mark answer sheets to record their responses to questions read aloud by the interviewer. The interviewer did not see the completed answer sheets.