Note—Sampling Properties of Rate Questions with Implications for Survey Research

Frequency questions (“How many times did you do X in the last month?”) are often used to measure respondents' behavior rates. Under suitable assumptions, frequency data can be analyzed in the context of the Negative Binomial Distribution model. Recency questions (“How long ago did you last do X?”) can also be used to assess usage rates, but have not been studied as much. In this study we compare the reliability and statistical efficiency of frequency and recency questions. We show that the relative performance of these two formats can be summarized succinctly. Validity issues are also considered. Our findings suggest that recency questions tend to perform better for low usage, low salience events.