Assessing the performance of the Swiss Panel LIVES Calendar: Evidence from a pilot study

The use of life-history calendar methods in survey research has been growing during the last couple of decades. This study presents a series of tests on the Swiss Panel LIVES Calendar (SPLC) aiming to understand the quality of the tool in collecting the expected data. The SPLC is a paper and pencil tool specifically designed for the first wave of the third sample of Swiss Household Panel to study life trajectories in relation to the concept of vulnerability. Thus, the SPLC is designed to be moderately standardized and relatively quick to complete, providing sufficient information on respondent’s life trajectories in the domains of residential moves, cohabitation, intimate relationship, family, occupation, and health. The performance of the tool has been assessed using coherence and completeness indicators and by comparing the data collected through different modes, different sub-samples of the populations, and a previous survey (Family tiMes) which used the calendar method. Results showed a good performance of the SPLC both in terms of internal coherence and completeness. SPLC data are robust across modes and comparable to life-history calendar data collected with interactive face-to-face interviews.