Social Sciences: Social Statistics & Demography

Gabriele B Durrant

MSc, PhD

Primary position:
Reader

Background

Gabriele B. Durrant is a Reader at the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute (S3RI) at the University of Southampton (since March 2012). She joined the Institute as a lecturer in October 2005 and was made Senior Lecturer in March 2010. She previously worked as a senior research fellow at the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods (2004–2005) after completing her PhD in 2004. She has extensive research interests in the areas of paradata, interviewer effects, nonresponse in sample surveys, measurement error, and statistical modelling in the social sciences, in particular multilevel modelling. She is also the programme coordinator of the CASS short course programme (Courses in Applied Social Surveys). She holds an MSc Mathematics and Geography from the University of Bonn, Germany.

  • principal investigator of several large research projects, including two three-year ESRC research grants, one on paradata and one on nonresponse analysis
  • guest editor of the special issue on paradata of the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A (Vol 176, 1, 2013)
  • associate editor of the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series A (2008-2012)
  • member of the Social Statistics Section Committee of the Royal Statistical Society
  • elected member of the International Statistical Research Institute
  • visiting research fellow of the Institute of Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg, Germany
Dr Gabriele B Durrant's photo

Publications

The University of Southampton's electronic library (e-prints)

Article

Steele, Fiona and Durrant, Gabriele B. (2011) Alternative approaches to multilevel modelling of survey non-contact and refusal. International Statistical Review, 79, (1), 70-91. (doi:10.1111/j.1751-5823.2011.00133.x).
Lyons-Amos, Mark J., Durrant, Gabriele B. and Padmadas, Sabu S. (2011) Is traditional contraceptive use in moldova associated with poverty and isolation? Journal of Biosocial Science, 43, (3), 305-327. (doi:10.1017/S0021932010000775). (PMID:21303582).
Durrant, Gabriele B., D'Arrigo, Julia and Steele, Fiona (2011) Using field process data to predict best times of contact conditioning on household and interviewer influences. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A (Statistics in Society) (In Press).
Durrant, Gabriele B., Groves, Robert M., Staetsky, Laura and Steele, Fiona (2010) Effects of interviewer attitudes and behaviors on refusal in household surveys. Public Opinion Quarterly, 74, (1), 1-36. (doi:10.1093/poq/nfp098).
Durrant, Gabriele B. (2009) Imputation methods for handling item-nonresponse in practice: methodological issues and recent debates. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12, (4), 293-304. (doi:10.1080/13645570802394003).
Durrant, Gabriele B. (2009) Imputation methods for handling item-nonresponse in practice: methodological issues and recent debates. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12, (4), 293-304. (doi:10.1080/13645570802394003 ).
Durrant, Gabriele B. and Steele, Fiona (2009) Multilevel modelling of refusal and noncontact in household surveys: evidence from six uk government surveys. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 172, (2), 361-381. (doi:10.1111/j.1467-985X.2008.00565.x). (In Press).
Wiles, Rose, Durrant, Gabriele B., De Broe, Sofie and Powell, Jackie (2009) Methodologcial approaches at PhD and skills sought for research posts in academia: a mismatch? International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12, (3), 257-269. (doi:10.1080/13645570701708550 ).
D'Arrigo, Julia, Durrant, Gabriele B. and Steele, Fiona (2009) Using field process data to predict best times of contact conditioning on household and interviewer influences. (M09/12).
Durrant, Gabriele B. and Steele, Fiona (2009) Multilevel modelling of refusal and non-contact in household surveys: evidence from six UK Government surveys. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 172, (2), 361-381. (doi:10.1111/j.1467-985X.2008.00565.x).
Wiles, Rose, Durrant, Gabriele, De Broe, Sofie and Powell, Jackie (2009) Methodological approaches at PhD and skills sought for research posts in academia: a mismatch? International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 12, (3), 257-269. (doi:10.1080/13645570701708550).
Wiles, Rose, Durrant, Gabriele, De Broe, Sofie and Powell, Jackie (2007) Methodological approaches at PhD and skills sought for research posts in academica: a mismatch? International Journal of Social Research Methodology (doi:10.1080/13645570701708550).
Wiles, R., Durrant, G., De Broe, S. and Powell, J. (2007) Methodologcial approaches at PhD and skills sought for research posts in academia: a mismatch? International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1-14. (doi:10.1080/13645570701708550).
Durrant, G.B. (2006) A semi-parametric multiple imputation data augmentation procedure. Proceedings of the Survey Research Methods Section, American Statistical Association (Submitted).
Durrant, G.B. and Skinner, C. (2006) Using missing data methods to correct for measurement error in a distribution function. Survey Methodology (Submitted).
Durrant, Gabriele B. and Skinner, Chris (2006) Using data augmentation to correct for nonignorable nonresponse when surrogate data are available: an application to the distribution of hourly pay. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), 169, (3), 605-623. (doi:10.1111/j.1467-985X.2006.00398.x).
Durrant, G. B. (2006) Missing data methods in official statistics in the UK: some recent developments. Journal of the German Statistical Society

Conference or Workshop Item

Durrant, Gabrielle, Staetsky, L. and Steele, F. (2008) The effects of interviewer characteristics and attitudes on refusal in face-to-face surveys. In, 19th International Workshop on Household Survey Nonresponse, Ljubliana, Slovenia, 15 - 17 Sep 2008.
Durrant, Gabriele B. (2008) An investigation of interviewer effects on household nonresponse in six UK government surveys. In, 7th International Conference on Social Science Methodology (ISA-RC33), Naples, Italy, 01 - 05 Sep 2008.
Durrant, G.B., Staetsky, L. and Steele, F. (2008) An exploration of the role of interviewers on survey nonresponse using a multilevel modelling approach. In, 3rd ESRC Research Methods Festival, Oxford, UK, 30 Jun - 03 Jul 2008. 38pp.
Durrant, G.B. (2007) Using multilevel multinomial models to analyse household and interviewer effects in survey nonresponse. In, 18th International Workshop on Household Survey Nonresponse, Southampton, UK, 03 - 05 Sep 2007. , p.30.
Durrant, G.B. (2007) Linking census, interviewer observation data and interviewer information to surveys: an investigation of unit nonresponse in UK surveys. In, 56th Session of the International Statistical Institute, Lisboa, Portugal, 22 - 29 Aug 2007.

Monograph

D'Arrigo, Julia, Durrant, Gabriele B. and Steele, Fiona (2011) Analysing the process leading to cooperation or refusal using call record data: A multilevel multinomial modelling approach. Southampton, GB, Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, University of Southampton, 32pp. (S3RI Methodology Working Papers, M11/03).
Lyons-Amos, Mark, Durrant, Gabriele and Padmadas, Sabu (2011) Contraceptive confidence and timing of first birth in Moldova. (Submitted)
Durrant, Gabriele, D'Arrigo, Julia and Steele, Fiona (2011) Analysing interviewer call record data to understand the process leading to cooperation or refusal. , not yet published (Submitted)
Durrant, Gabriele B. and Goldstein, Harvey (2010) Analysing the probability of attrition in a longitudinal survey. Southampton, GB, Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, University of Southampton, 24pp. (S3RI Methodology Working Papers, M10/08).
Durrant, Gabriele B., Groves, Robert M., Staetsky, Laura and Steele, Fiona (2009) Effects of interviewer attitudes and behaviors on refusal in household surveys. Southampton, UK, Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, 34pp. (S3RI Methodology Working Papers, (M09/05) ).
Lyons-Amos, Mark J., Durrant, Gabriele B. and Padmadas, Sabu S. (2009) The correlates of natural method use in Moldova: is natural method use associated with poverty and isolation? Southampton, UK, Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute, 32pp. (S3RI Applications & Policy Working Papers, (A09/01) ). (Submitted)
D’Arrigo, J., Durrant, G.B. and Steele, F. (2009) Using paradata to develop hierarchical response propensity models. , Economic and Social Research Council
Durrant, G.B., Goldstein, H. and Staetsky, L. (2009) Analysis of attrition in the family and children survey (FACS).
Steele, F. and Durrant, G. (2009) Alternative approaches to nonresponse modelling. , Economic and Social Research Council
Lyons-Amos, Mark J., Durrant, Gabriele B. and Padmadas, Sabu S. (2008) The correlates of natural method use in Moldova; are natural methods associated with poverty and isolation? USA, Studies in Family Planning (Reproductive Health Abstracts). (Submitted)
Durrant, Gabriele B. and Steele, Fiona (2007) Multilevel modelling of refusal and noncontact nonresponse in household surveys: evidence from six UK government surveys. Southampton, GB, University of Southampton, 35pp. (S3RI Methodology Working Papers, M07/11).
Durrant, Gabriele B. (2005) Imputation methods in the social sciences: a methodological review. , NCRM (NCRM Working Paper Series, (NCRM-002) ).
Durrant, Gabriele B. (2005) Correcting for measurement error using missing data methods: an example from the UK Labour Force Survey. Ottawa, Canada, Statistics Canada (Guide to the Labour Force Survey).
Beissel-Durrant, Gabriel (2004) A typology of research methods within the Social Sciences. Southampton, UK, University of Southampton, 22pp. (NCRM Working Paper).
Beissel-Durrant, Gabriele and Lang, Iain (2004) ESRC National Centre for Research Methods. Consultation Exercise Report. Southampton, UK, University of Southampton, 42pp. (ESRC Working Paper Series).
Beissel-Durrant, G. (2002) Variance estimation for estimates of a pay distribution based on imputed survey data. Southampton, GB, University of Southampton, 29pp. (Working Papers).
 

Research

Research Interests

• use and analysis of paradata (survey process data)
• interviewer effects in sample surveys
• missing data and nonresponse in sample surveys
• statistical modelling in the social sciences, in particular multilevel modelling
• measurement error in sample surveys

Research projects

  • 3.5-year ESRC Research Grant (404K; Principal Investigator, co-applicants: Prof P.W. Smith and Prof F. Kreuter.) Title: The Use of Paradata (Field Process Data) in Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Surveys, RES-062-23-2997, Sept 2011 – Feb 2015.
  • 3.5-year ESRC Research Grant (568K; Principal Investigator, co-applicants: Prof C. Skinner, Prof J. Micklewright and Dr Fiona Steele), Title: Hierarchical Analysis of Unit Non-Response in Sample Surveys, RES-062-23-0458, Sept 2007 – Feb 2011.
  • 3-year ESRC Research Grant (353K; co-applicant with Prof J. Bynner (PI), Prof H. Goldstein, Prof P. Lynn, Prof C. Skinner, Prof I. Plewis and NatCen), Title: Solving the Problem of Attrition in Longitudinal Surveys’, RES-175-25-0011, Sept 2007 – Aug 2010.
  • 1-year research grant, funded by the Office for National Statistics, (45K; Principal Investigator), Title: Analysis of Nonresponse in Household Surveys using the UK Survey Nonresponse Census Link Study, Aug 2005-Aug 2006.
  • 3-year ESRC and ONS research project, Title: Estimation of Pay Distributions in the Presence of Missing Data and Measurement Error (2000-2003). The project was funded by the ESRC, grant number R422200034286, and the Office for National Statistics.
  • 1-year Small Research Grant, 2005-2006, University of Southampton

Responsibilities

CASS programme coordinator

CASS is a programme of short courses in applied social surveys

Research supervision

Gabriele currently supervises several PhD students working on topics related to nonresponse, multilevel modelling, interviewer effects, use of paradata in cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys.

Teaching Responsibilities

Gabriele is the programme coordinator of the CASS short course programme (Courses in Applied Social Surveys) which is part of the training programme of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods. Gabriele has extensive experience of teaching courses in survey data analysis at postgraduate and professional level, including courses for CASS. Further topics have included short courses on nonresponse, multilevel modelling and use of paradata.  

Contact

Dr Gabriele B Durrant
Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute (S3RI)
Building 39
University of Southampton
Highfield Campus
Southampton SO17 1BJ

Room Number: 39/3017

Telephone: (023) 8059 5481
Facsimile: (023) 8059 3846
Email: G.Durrant@soton.ac.uk