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 re- presentation 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 re- sponse rates are explored in connection with sociological theories and exist- ing empirical evidence from the literature.