Analysis and Theoretical Exploration of Low Response Rate and Socioeconomic Bias in Survey Non-Response in Milan, Italy

This article presents the findings of a web survey aimed at collecting new neighborhood-level information on individual and contextual health-related risk factors in Milan, Italy. The study utilized the Social Determinants of Health and Urban Health approaches to design data-driven health prevention and promotion interventions tailored to the local community. However, the survey experienced a significantly low response rate (6.2%) with a skewed representation of middle-aged, well-educated, white-collar individuals located in affluent city areas. As a result, the collected data was deemed unusable for public health and research purposes. The article discusses the rationale, structure, and development of the project and evaluates the magnitude of non-response and non-response bias due to socioeconomic characteristics. The issues of low survey participation and socioeconomic inequalities in response rates are explored in connection with sociological theories and existing empirical evidence from the literature.