Context effects in social surveys

between instrument and respondent

Samo Uhan (Author), Mitja Hafner-Fink (Author)

Abstract

The intention of this article is to examine the nature of cognitive representations that respondents create and utilise when making evaluative judgements in surveys. The following two hypothetical statements are the starting point of our analysis: (1) the order of items affects both the cognitive representation of the underlying dimension and the factor structure of the answers; (2) the different levels of cognitive sophistication of respondents affect their recognition of the concepts measured and the nature of their answers. A multidimensional scale of the concept of 'negative nationalismʼ was analysed. The concept was measured on two dimensions: xenophobia and protectionism. The research results partly confirm the hypothetical statements: the level of a respondentʼs education (as an indicator of their level of cognitive sophistication) influences their recognition of the concept measured, while other classical context characteristics (such as item order) did not. We can only confirm the possible effect of item order on the nature of their response, which results in the two-dimensionality or unidimensionality of the concept measured.

Keywords

Družboslovne ankete;Merjenje;Lestvičenje;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2013
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL FDV - Faculty of Social Sciences
UDC:	303.62:159.955
COBISS:	3662024
ISSN:	0040-3598
Parent publication:	Teorija in praksa
Views:	555
Downloads:	87
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Secondary language:	Slovenian
Secondary abstract:	Prispevek se usmerja na vprašanje kognitivnih predstav, ki jih anketiranci oblikujejo in uporabljajo pri odgovarjanju na anketna vprašanja. V izhodišču analize sta dve hipotezi, in sicer: (1) učinek vrstnega reda vpliva - tako na kognitivne predstave o merjeni dimenziji kot tudi na faktorsko strukturo odgovorov; (2) stopnja kognitivne sofistikacije respondentov vpliva na prepoznavo merjenega koncepta in na način odgovarjanja. Predmet analize je koncept negativnega nacionalizma (ksenofobija, protekcionizem), merjen z večdimenzionalno lestvico. Rezultati delno potrjujejo hipotezi: stopnja respondentove izobrazbe (indikator kognitivne sofistikacije) vpliva na prepoznavo merjenega koncepta, na prepoznavo pa ne vplivajo klasični kontekstualni učinki (npr. vpliv vrstnega reda). Potrdimo lahko le možen vpliva vrstnega reda na način odgovarjanja, kar se kaže kot eno- ali dvodimenzionalnost merjenega koncepta.
Secondary keywords:	kognitivne strukture;Social surveys;Measurement;Scaling (Social sciences);
URN:	URN:NBN:SI
Type (COBISS):	Not categorized
Pages:	str. 233-248, 265
Volume:	ǂLetn. ǂ50
Issue:	ǂšt. ǂ1
Chronology:	jan.-feb. 2013
ID:	9093323