{
  "schema": "vedokrok.public-item.v1",
  "release_id": "MHC-RPUB-20260920-75ad787a",
  "url": "/knowledge/treat-missing-responses-as-an-unanswered-question",
  "id": "MHC-D-RESEARCH-0260",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "title": "Treat missing responses as an unanswered question",
  "summary": "Silence is not a neutral rating waiting to be filled in.",
  "kind": "checklist",
  "body": "Report how many people were invited, reached and completed the relevant questions. Consider whether nonrespondents could differ in ways that matter to the result. Do not code missing answers as satisfaction, zero problems or agreement merely to make a complete table.",
  "limits": [
    "A low response rate is a warning to investigate, not a numerical estimate of bias by itself."
  ],
  "topics": [
    "union-statistical-judgment"
  ],
  "intents": [],
  "source_ids": [
    "RS-067D61EDD2C98F88"
  ],
  "evidence": [
    {
      "claim": "Nonresponse can distort a result when respondents differ from missing participants in relevant ways.",
      "source_id": "RS-067D61EDD2C98F88",
      "role": "supports",
      "note": "A response rate alone neither proves nor quantifies the resulting bias.",
      "locator": "Nonresponse"
    }
  ],
  "use_when": [
    "Only part of an invited group completes a survey or follow-up."
  ],
  "avoid_when": [
    "A low response rate is a warning to investigate, not a numerical estimate of bias by itself."
  ],
  "example": "People who stopped using a service may be less likely to answer its follow-up questionnaire.",
  "check": "The report preserves missingness rather than silently converting it into a favorable outcome.",
  "checklist": [
    "Invitation, response and item-completion counts are distinguished.",
    "Known differences between respondents and nonrespondents are examined where appropriate.",
    "The conclusion acknowledges uncertainty that the missing responses create."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "RS-067D61EDD2C98F88",
      "title": "Introductory Statistics 2e, 1.2: Data, Sampling, and Variation",
      "url": "https://openstax.org/books/introductory-statistics-2e/pages/1-2-data-sampling-and-variation-in-data-and-sampling"
    }
  ],
  "relations": [],
  "collections": [
    {
      "id": "RC-D4FD0B28897E9517",
      "title": "Check what a study can actually tell you",
      "url": "/collections/check-what-a-study-can-actually-tell-you"
    }
  ]
}