title: Response stability in social research:  lessons from a longitudinal study of the family-building process.
abstract: "Responses to questions, phrased to elicit identical answers from the same individuals over time, are compared.  The questions were used in a South African longitudinal study on the family-building process.  Although consistency for certain questions was high, consistency was particularly low for questions on family-planning methods used and desired number of children at the time of marriage.... The need to evaluate the quality of data obtained in survey research, especially where heavy reliance is placed on memory recall, is stressed."  (summary in AFR)
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D000353:Africa, Southern; D003625:Data Collection; D003906:Developing Countries; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005193:Family Planning Services; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012106:Research; D012107:Research Design; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013019:South Africa
keywords: Africa; Africa South Of The Sahara; Comparative Studies; Developing Countries; English Speaking Africa; Family And Household; Family Characteristics; Family Planning; Family Size; Family Size, Desired; Measurement; Reliability; Research Methodology; Sampling Studies; South Africa; Southern Africa; Studies; Survey Methodology; Surveys