Article: Coverage Bias in Traditional Telephone Surveys of Low-Income and Young Adults Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 5
Summary: This article finds that surveys that rely on traditional random-digit-dials of landlines have a significant bias in their information about low-income young people. Because 32% of low-income young adults live in households with only a wireless phone, telephone surveys that do not include cell phones will understimate the prevalence of binge drinking and smoking, but will overestimate obesity. These surveys will also underestimate physical activity and the prevalence of HIV testing. This article is part of a special issue on telephone surveys and cell phones in the United States.