Surveying Illiterate Individuals: Are Audio Files in Computer-Assisted Self-Interviews a Useful Supportive Tool?

Abstract This chapter focuses on specific challenges to surveying newly arrived immigrants with a focus refugees. In addition the need provide interviews for in their native language, it must be taken into account that considerable proportion of this group has poor or no reading skills language. Two strategies can used avoid systematically excluding population: offering native-speaking interviewers using computer-assisted self-interviewing (CASI) additional audio files enable respondents listen questionnaire. We discuss pros and cons both strategies. Subsequently, data from first wave German refugee study ReGES, which were offered as combined approach, we consider effectiveness practicability more detail. Although increase cooperation help not exclude illiterate individuals, they also encourage higher social desirability bias. However, interviewees are likely take advantage interviewer’s support read questions aloud than use files. Nevertheless, found small but substantial subgroup little often.