What are the factors that determine the answers to questionnaires to local governments - From the results of questionnaires on specific health checkups and cancer screening -
In the summer of 2016, we conducted two types of mail surveys: a questionnaire survey on specific health checkups ("questionnaire on specific health checkups") and a questionnaire survey on cancer screening and health promotion ("questionnaire on cancer screening") to all basic local governments in Japan.
In this paper, we analyze (1) which local governments responded to the questionnaire on specific health checkups and the questionnaire on cancer screening, and (2) what are the characteristics of the local governments that responded early. The results are as follows.
First, the more populous the municipality, the higher the return rate and the faster the return. Second, a higher number of civil servants per capita results in a lower return rate, although the speed of return does not change. Third, a higher fiscal power index does not change the rate of questionnaire returns, but returns are faster. Fourth, a higher number of hospitals and clinics per capita tends to result in a higher return rate only for questionnaire on specific health checkups and a faster return rate. Fifth, the rate of questionnaire returns decreases when the per capita medical care cost for the late-stage elderly is high, but there is also a tendency for the returns to be faster for questionnaire on specific health checkups.
These results suggest that responses from municipalities do not occur randomly when conducting their own municipal questionnaires.
