vastajad

Vastajad is a term used in Estonian to denote individuals who provide information in a survey or interview, i.e., respondents. It is widely used in social science and market research to refer to the group of persons who answer questions, as distinct from nonrespondents and data collectors. The word is formed from the verb vastama (to answer) with the agent noun suffix -ja and the plural -d; hence vastaja (the respondent) and vastajad (the respondents).

In practice, vastajad are the primary source of data in questionnaires, structured interviews, and online surveys. Researchers seek to obtain a representative sample of vastajad to generalize findings to a target population. Issues such as sampling design, response rate, and nonresponse bias influence the reliability of results. Methods to mitigate bias include weighting, imputation, and follow-up contacts. Data collection can be conducted through online panels, telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews, or mixed modes, with attention to questionnaire design and respondent burden.

Ethical and legal considerations apply to vastajad, including informed consent, privacy, and data protection. Anonymization and aggregation are common to prevent disclosure of individual identities in published results.

In Estonian-language literature, vastajad are treated as a standard term in statistical reporting and survey methodology. The concept is language-specific, with equivalent terms in other languages.

See also: Respondent, Survey methodology, Nonresponse bias, Data anonymization.