An Empirical Investigation of Factors Contributing to Item Nonresponse in Self-Reported Bullying Instruments

Researchers often use self-reported instruments to collect data from students when investigating the causes and effects of bullying. When completing the instrument, students may skip items despite anonymous data collection. To interpret data accurately, researchers must identify the causes of nonresponse. This study examined the impact of item (types of bullying and position) and student (sex and grade level) factors on nonresponse in bullying items. The sample included 10,681 students from grades 8, 9, and 11 who skipped at least one bullying item in the Minnesota Student Survey. Results showed that students were more likely to skip the items presented toward the end of the survey. The type of bullying had no impact on nonresponse. Male students and students at higher grade levels were more likely to skip the items. To alleviate the nonresponse issue, researchers are recommended to consider both survey length and student factors when administering bullying instruments.