Quelle: Methods, data, analyses : a journal for quantitative methods and survey methodology (mda), 13 (2019) 1, S 59-90
Inhalt: Questions on earnings are counted among sensitive topics that often produce high rates of item nonresponse or measurement error. Both types of bias are well documented in the literature and are found to concentrate in the tails of the earnings distribution. In this paper, we explore whether measurement error on earnings could be explained by socially desirable
reporting and whether the error is impacted by interviewer characteristics. Using the linked dataset NEPS-SC6-ADIAB, which contains survey data from the German National Educational Panel Study, Starting Cohort "Adults", linked to administrative earnings records from the German Federal Employment Agency, we analyze the extents of over- and underreporting and the influence of respondent and interviewer characteristics on these behaviors for different quartiles of the earnings distribution. Our results show that the average level of misreporting is relatively low (approximately 6% of median earnings). Our main logistic model reveals that female and more highly educated respondents report significantly more accurately while those with higher earnings misreport to a significantly greater extent. Regarding the impact of personality traits on reporting accuracy, we find significant positive effects for more agreeable respondents and significant negative effects for extraverted respondents. When differentiating by the direction of misreporting, we find, for instance, that women are less likely to overreport across all earnings quartiles. However, the influence of interviewer characteristics is negligible.
Non-Randomized Response Models: An Experimental Application of the Triangular Model as an Indirect Questioning Method for Sensitive Topics
Autor/in:
Erdmann, Anke
Quelle: Methods, data, analyses : a journal for quantitative methods and survey methodology (mda), 13 (2019) 1, S 139-167
Inhalt: When it comes to sensitive questions, data is often affected by bias due to non-response or effects of social desirability. Several methods have been introduced to eliminate answer bias by using randomization processes and probabilistic theory to obscure the respondent’s answer and create anonymity, thus facilitating honest answers. The probably most traditional method is the Randomized Response Technique by Warner (1965). However, this method is loaded with certain disadvantages. Therefore, in the last decade, newer methods were introduced that aim at balancing the disadvantages and weaknesses of previous methods, for instance, the non-randomized models Crosswise Model and Triangular Model (Yu et al. 2008) as well as the Parallel Model (Tian 2014). Although especially the Triangular Model is easy to implement in a study, there is only little empirical evidence on its application in different survey modes and populations. Further, it is to assume that certain questions are not equally sensitive for everybody due to specific personal characteristics. Thus, indirect questioning might not be effective in general but only for certain populations. The present study extends prior work on the Triangular Model by evaluating it for different subgroups. The conducted experiment asks for sensitive characteristics in the context of mental stress among students. The Triangular Model achieves significantly higher percentages than conventional direct questioning for illegal drug use among persons that answer socially desirable according to the characteristic of Self-Deception. For the other analyzed subgroups (Impression Management, gender, and depressiveness), the Triangular Model could not achieve higher prevalence rates compared to direct questioning on a sufficient probability level. But still, hard evidence on the effectiveness of indirect questioning models is thin and further critical discussion is needed.
Schlagwörter:Umfrageforschung; survey research; Datengewinnung; data capture; Datenqualität; data quality; Antwortverhalten; response behavior; soziale Erwünschtheit; social desirability; Anonymität; anonymity; psychische Gesundheit; mental health; Drogenkonsum; drug use; Triangular Model; Indirect Questioning; Survey Methodology; Non-Randomized Response
SSOAR Kategorie:Erhebungstechniken und Analysetechniken der Sozialwissenschaften
Using cultural and structural indicators to explain measurement noninvariance in gender role attitudes with multilevel structural equation modeling
Autor/in:
Seddig, Daniel; Lomazzi, Vera
Quelle: Social Science Research, (2019) 84
Inhalt: The current study explores the reasons for noninvariance of the measurements of gender role attitudes across countries. While previous studies have shown that noninvariance is a problem for comparative research and pointed out methods to alleviate the risks of drawing invalid conclusions, none has so far tried to explain why measurements of gender role attitudes are nonequivalent. Therefore, we use multilevel structural equation modeling to exploring measurement invariance and explain its absence. We use data assessing peoples' views on the specialization of roles by gender and the consequences of female employment on family's well-being from the International Social Survey Programme. We can replicate the findings from prior research indicating that scalar measurement invariance across countries is absent. Furthermore, we use two country-level variables to explain the noninvariance of particular items. The cultural value embeddedness explains noninvariance to a considerable degree while the Gender Inequality Index from the United Nations Development Programme does not. Therefore, we conclude that issues of comparability of gender role attitudes are related mainly to cultural rather than structural differences between countries.
Schlagwörter:Geschlechtsrolle; gender role; Einstellung; attitude; Messung; measurement; vergleichende Forschung; comparative research; Umfrageforschung; survey research; Datengewinnung; data capture; Datenqualität; data quality; Wertorientierung; value-orientation; kulturelle Faktoren; cultural factors; soziale Ungleichheit; social inequality; gender-specific factors; measurement noninvariance; multilevel structural equation modeling; cultural values; gender inequality; ISSP
SSOAR Kategorie:Erhebungstechniken und Analysetechniken der Sozialwissenschaften, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Dealing with Space and Place in Standard Survey Data
Autor/in:
Hillmert, Steffen; Hartung, Andreas; Weßling, Katarina
Quelle: Survey Research Methods, 11 (2017) 3, S 267-287
Inhalt: Heterogeneity of local conditions and spatial dependencies are typical aspects of sociological phenomena. However, large-scale empirical data is often rather limited with regard to the spatial references that are (publicly) available to researchers. We describe several aspects of the problem and assess possibilities and potential errors associated with limited information. Our examples are returns to education and gender-based and migration-related wage gaps as popular research topics. We base our analyses upon widely used survey data from Germany, the GSOEP, which contains geographical information on various levels of aggregation. Our particular interest is in the decisions that have to be made with regard to problems of space and place in standard surveys, available options and consequences. We conclude with a number of practical suggestions for data users.
Titelübersetzung:Social presence in online surveys
Autor/in:
Schmidt-Catran, Alexander W.; Hörstermann, Katharina
Quelle: Methoden, Daten, Analysen (mda), 7 (2013) 3, S 397-432
Inhalt: "Onlinebefragungen zählen mittlerweile zum Standardrepertoire vieler Forschungsinstitute, einige methodische Fragen bleiben bis dato jedoch noch unbeantwortet. Diese Studie beschäftigt sich mit der Frage, ob durch die Simulation sozialer Präsenz das Antwortverhalten der Befragten beeinflusst werden kann. Mit einem experimentellen Design werden Effekte der sozialen Präsenz auf Nonresponse sowie sozial erwünschtes Antwortverhalten untersucht. Dabei wird davon ausgegangen, dass die Implementierung sozialer Präsenz den Vorteil einer erhöhten Teilnahmebereitschaft und den Nachteil von sozial erwünschtem Antwortverhalten mit sich bringen kann. Der inhaltliche Schwerpunkt des Experiments liegt auf Einstellungen zu Sexismus, Geschlechterrollen und der Berufstätigkeit von Frauen. Zur Simulation der sozialen Präsenz werden Fotografien verwendet. Zusätzlich zum Effekt der sozialen Präsenz wird untersucht, ob das Geschlecht und die Attraktivität der auf den Fotos gezeigten Personen einen Einfluss auf das Antwortverhalten haben. Bei diesem Effekt handelt es sich um eine Art 'Gender-of-Interviewer'-Effekt. Bezüglich der Teilnahme- und Antwortbereitschaft konnten keine positiven Effekte nachgewiesen werden. Die Ergebnisse hinsichtlich möglicher Interviewereffekte in Form von sozial erwünschtem Antwortverhalten sind nicht eindeutig, es tauchen aber systematische Unterschiede zwischen den Experimental- und der Kontrollgruppe auf." (Autorenreferat)
Inhalt: "Today, online surveys belong to the standard instruments of most survey research institutes, but some methodical questions are still unanswered. This study deals with the question of whether the simulation of social presence has an effect on the response style. Using an experimental design, the effects of social presence on non-response and socially desirable answers are tested. We expect social presence to lower non-response but to induce socially desirable answers. Topics of the survey are attitudes towards sexism, gender roles and the participation of women in the labor market. Social presence is simulated by pictures of the 'investigators' of the study. In addition to the effect of social presence, the study investigates whether the gender and the attractiveness of the person on the pictures have an effect on the answers. This effect might be called a 'gender-of-interviewer'-effect. Concerning the non-response rate no positive effect of social presence could be found. The results with regard to social desirability and a possible gender-of-interviewer-effect are ambiguous but show significant differences between the control group and our experimental groups." (author's abstract)