Reimagining Interviewer Training for the 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances: A Tiered, Modular Approach

Music City Center 

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) employs a dual-frame sampling design, combining a national area-probability sample with a list sample to ensure representation across the full socio-economic spectrum, including the nation's wealthiest households. Due to the complexity of the survey and the difficulty in gaining respondent cooperation, field interviewer (FI) attrition is high, and experienced FIs tend to perform best. For the 2025 SCF, a new training model was introduced, tailored to interviewers' levels of experience. SCF-experienced interviewers received targeted refresher training; interviewers with prior NORC experience were trained on SCF-specific protocols, techniques for gaining cooperation, and survey administration; and interviewers new to NORC were trained primarily on strategies for gaining cooperation. As interviewers demonstrated success and gained experience, they received additional training to take on expanded responsibilities. This paper presents the tiered, modular training approach, detailing its structure, implementation, and early outcomes.