Survey Context Effects Research Articles

Trust in context: National heuristics and survey context effects on political trust in the European Union

Trust in the European Union is strongly related to trust in national political institutions through extrapolation, i.e. cues from national politics. Most evidence for this mechanism, however, is based on surveys using question blocks that present several institutions at once in non-randomized order. We conducted six split-ballot survey experiments in five European countries, asking about trust in national and European Union institutions (a) separately or in the same question block and (b) in different question orders. Our findings demonstrate survey context effects: asking about two institutions within the same question block increases the correlation of reported levels of trust in these institutions. Furthermore, our findings indicate that national primes decrease reported trust in the European Union, providing novel micro-level evidence for extrapolation and cue-taking from national politics in the formation of public opinion about the European Union.

Survey Context Effects and Implications for Validity: Measuring Political Discussion Frequency in Survey Research

Although political discussion behavior is an important area of political communication research, analysis of the reliability and validity of political discussion survey measures has only recently begun. This study uses panel survey data to examine the effects of survey context on self-reported political discussion frequency measures (e.g., general political discussion, discussion about the economy), the moderating influence of individual difference variables, and implications for measurement validity. A quasi-experiment demonstrates that including a large (versus small) quantity of preceding issue-relevant questions leads to higher reports of political and economic discussion frequency, and this effect is greater for individuals with higher levels of political and economic interest, respectively. Results of a survey experiment reveal that inclusion of a preceding thought-listing question about the economy produces higher reports of economic talk frequency, but only among those who possess relatively expansive conceptualizations of the economy. Such survey context effects suggest problems with the construct validity of self-reported political discussion frequency measurements. Potential consequences of survey context for concurrent and predictive validity are assessed by examining relationships between discussion frequency and known correlates (e.g., education, interest) and outcomes (e.g., current affairs knowledge) of political talk. Results provide tentative evidence that discussion measures placed after a large (versus small) quantity of issue-relevant questions may exhibit better criterion validity (quasi-experiment), whereas the order of a thought-listing question does not appear to impact criterion validity (experiment). Results of this study clearly underscore the need for additional research on self-report measures of political behavior, including political discussion frequency.

Estimates of prevalence, demographic characteristics and social factors among people with disabilities in the USA: a cross-survey comparison

ObjectiveA national priority for disability research in the USA is the standardised identification of people with disabilities in surveillance efforts. Mandated by federal statute, six dichotomous difficulty-focused questions were implemented...

The influence of test situation and satisfaction with preparation on evaluation and intention to consume a new seafood product

PurposeThe general purpose of this paper is to investigate how a newly developed burger made of seafood is perceived in different test situations. In addition, the influence of satisfaction with preparation on the evaluative outcome is explored.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from two different test situations; a home use test, and a canteen test among young Spanish consumers. Multiple measures of the constructs were used to test for construct reliability, validity and measurement invariance in two different consumption situations. The data were analysed by LISREL and ANOVA.FindingsNo differences in attitudes and intention to consume the fish burger are found for the different test situations. However, satisfaction with preparation did have a significant impact on evaluation and intention in the home situation, even though perceived preparation skill is the same.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the existing literature on how different test locations influence product evaluation. First, methodologically, it uses multiple measures of the key dependent variables, attitude and intention, and tests for validity, reliability, and measurement invariance to approach survey context effects in different test situations. Second, theoretically, the paper also shows how the impact of satisfaction with the preparation can influence evaluation and intention to consume a new product in a home test situation.

Using an Individual Differences Perspective to Investigate Context Effects in Surveys: A Test of the Belief-Sampling Model

Using an Individual Differences Perspective to Investigate Context Effects in Surveys: A Test of the Belief-Sampling Model

Multientity Scaling and the Consistency of Country-of-Origin Attitudes

This study was particularly designed to respond to Jaffe and Nebenzahl's (1984) suggestion to test whether and how entity-based and attribute-based semantic differential scaling formats could predict purchasing behavior within a country-of-origin setting. The study includes recent research on survey context effects in order to explain and extend our analysis, and uses attitude consistency theory as a conceptual framework. A comparison of the fit statistics between the two scaling formats on each entity (country) indicates that the attribute based format estimates a higher attitude response consistency and predictive validity by giving better predictors of global country image (evaluation) and buying frequency of products from the different countries investigated. This study uses data collected from a probability sample of industrial buyers within the seafood industry.

Sex differences in how heterosexuals think about lesbians and gay men: Evidence from survey context effects

Two experiments were embedded in a 1997 telephone survey of U.S. households to assess possible differences in how heterosexuals think about lesbians versus gay men. In each experiment, one half of the sample first responded to one or more attitude items about lesbians, followed by comparable items about gay men. The other half received the gay male item(s) first. Results are reported separately for White (N = 976) and Black (N = 479) heterosexuals. For White and Black men alike, self‐reported attitudes toward lesbians tended to be more favorable when they were assessed without reference to gay men (i.e., lesbian items presented first). White men's reactions to gay men tended to be less negative when assessed after the questions about lesbians were presented, but Black men's responses did not consistently show this pattern. For some items, women gave more favorable ratings of lesbians and less favorable ratings of gay men when the lesbian items were presented first. The findings suggest possible gender differences in the cognitive organization of heterosexuals ‘ attitudes toward lesbians and gay men.

The moderating influence of attitude strength on the susceptibility to context effects in attitude surveys.

In 3 experiments, the authors assessed whether attitude strength moderates the susceptibility of attitudes to item context effects in surveys. In Experiment 1, respondents completed multiple measures of attitude strength. Three weeks later, respondents participated in a context experiment. Results revealed that respondents with weak attitudes exhibited significantly larger context effect for 1 of 2 issues. In Experiment 2, the results of Experiment l were conceptually replicated by use of measures of interattitudinal embeddedness to assess attitude strength. In Experiment 3, significant strength-moderated context effects were found when attitude strength was assessed in a multi-item, multidimensional manner but not when it was assessed with a single item. Discussion focuses on measurement and theoretical issues related to the moderation and mediation of context effects in attitude surveys.

Measuring Happiness in Surveys: A Test of the Subtraction Hypothesis

Responses to an item on general happiness can change when that item follows one on marital happiness. Asking about marital happiness first sometimes reduces reported levels of overall happiness. This reduction may result from a change in the interpretation of the general happiness item. According to this hypothesis, when the general item follows the item on marital happiness, respondents take the item to ask about aspects of their lives other than their marriages-in effect, the respondents subtract their (mostly happy) marriages in answering the general item. The study reported here tests this hypothesis by asking versions of the general happiness item that correspond to the different interpretations. A version of the general item that asked about general happiness aside from your marriage yielded responses that were quite similar to those given to the standard item when it followed the item on marital happiness. Another version that asked about general happiness including your marriage elicited responses quite similar to those elicited by the standard item when it preceded the marital happiness item. However, reanalysis of the studies that originally demonstrated the impact of the order of the two happiness items casts doubt on the subtraction hypothesis and related models as explanations of the earlier findings. The literature on survey context effects suggests that earlier questions can affect answers to later ones through a number of distinct mechanisms (Schuman and Presser 1981; Smith 1982; Strack and Martin ROGER TOURANGEAU iS Vice President at CODA, Inc. KENNETH RASINSKI is a Survey Director at the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) and NORMAN BRADBURN iS NORC's Director. The authors thank Tom Smith and Howard Schuman, who carried out the reanalyses reported here. Their cooperation-and promptness-are greatly appreciated. The data collection described here was supported by a grant from the NORC