Comparison of Response Bias in an Intercultural Context – Evaluation of Psychological Items in Travel Behavior Research

Abstract

The inclusion of attitudinal questions in surveys to determine the effects of the psychological dimension is becoming increasingly important in travel behavior research. However, the occurrence of response bias must be taken into account when determining the psychological characteristics. Especially unmotivated participants have the option to run different answer strategies in item sets that query attitudes. With this study, we analyze variations of response bias and carry out an international comparison to identify cultural differences. For this purpose, we use a standardized survey design conducted in Shanghai (China), Berlin (Germany) and San Francisco (USA) and investigate response behavior to psychological questions. Different measurement methods are used to identify certain response patterns. By modifying an existing algorithm, we combine several aspects of response bias into one indicator. Based on an ordered logit regression, we analyze factors influencing response behavior. As a central outcome, people from Shanghai and San Francisco tend to show more suspicious response behavior than people from Berlin. Since the transferability of surveys has to be seen against the background of different linguistic and cultural interpretations, we investigated these peculiarities through a qualitative follow-up study in China. We conclude that international studies must also take into account social and cultural conditions, since a mere translation of attitudinal questions is not enough. This paper underlines the importance of such studies of response behavior, especially in an international comparison, in order to allow interpretations of survey results. Hints and recommendations for further research are given.