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Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies Commons™
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- Keyword
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- Questionnaire design (4)
- Telephone surveys (3)
- Data quality (2)
- Mail survey (2)
- Social change (2)
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- Survey research (2)
- Abortion (1)
- Administrative records (1)
- Adolescence (1)
- Agree/disagree scales (1)
- Battery items (1)
- Behavior coding (1)
- Birth cohort (1)
- Bisexual (1)
- Civil liberties (1)
- Content analysis (1)
- Crime (1)
- Data collection (1)
- Disadvantage (1)
- Disclosure avoidance (1)
- Gay (1)
- Homeless youth (1)
- Homosexuality (1)
- Images (1)
- Interviewer behaviors (1)
- Interviewer effects (1)
- Interviewer-respondent interaction (1)
- Interviewers; GPS; mobile devices; face to face surveys (1)
- Interviewer–respondent interaction (1)
- Justice (1)
Articles 1 - 23 of 23
Full-Text Articles in Quantitative, Qualitative, Comparative, and Historical Methodologies
Are Self-Description Scales Better Than Agree/Disagree Scales?, Jerry Timbrook, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson
Are Self-Description Scales Better Than Agree/Disagree Scales?, Jerry Timbrook, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Questions using agree/disagree (A/D) scales are ubiquitous in survey research because they save time and space on questionnaires through display in grids, but they have also been criticized for being prone to acquiescent reports. Alternatively, questions using self-description (SD) scales (asking respondents how well a statement describes them from Completely to Not at All) can also be presented in grids or with a common question stem, and by omitting the word agree, SD scales may reduce acquiescence. However, no research has examined how response patterns may differ across A/D and SD scales. In this article, we compare survey …
A Comparison Of Fully Labeled And Top-Labeled Grid Question Formats, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson
A Comparison Of Fully Labeled And Top-Labeled Grid Question Formats, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
The grid question format is common in mail and web surveys. In this format, a single question stem introduces a set of items, which are listed in rows of a table underneath the question stem. The table’s columns contain the response options, usually only listed at the top, with answer spaces arrayed below and aligned with the items (Dillman et al. 2014).This format is efficient for respondents; they do not have to read the full question stem and full set of response options for every item in the grid. Likewise, it is space efficient for the survey researcher, which reduces …
The Effect Of Question Characteristics On Question Reading Behaviors In Telephone Surveys, Kristen M. Olson, Jolene Smyth, Antje Kirchner
The Effect Of Question Characteristics On Question Reading Behaviors In Telephone Surveys, Kristen M. Olson, Jolene Smyth, Antje Kirchner
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Asking questions fluently, exactly as worded, and at a reasonable pace is a fundamental part of a survey interviewer’s role. Doing so allows the question to be asked as intended by the researcher and may decrease the risk of measurement error and contribute to rapport. Despite the central importance placed on reading questions exactly as worded, interviewers commonly misread questions, and it is not always clear why. Thus, understanding the risk of measurement error requires understanding how different interviewers, respondents, and question features may trigger question reading problems. In this article, we evaluate the effects of question features on question …
Unpacking The Black Box Of Survey Costs, Kristen M. Olson
Unpacking The Black Box Of Survey Costs, Kristen M. Olson
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Survey costs are a critically important input to and constraint on the quality of data collected from surveys. Much about survey costs is unknown, leading to lack of understanding of the drivers of survey costs, the relationship between survey costs and survey errors, and difficulty in justifying the importance of survey data versus other available administrative or organic data. This commentary outlines a recently developed typology for survey costs, illustrates this typology using methodological articles that report on costs in pharmacy surveys, and provides recommendations for research on the relationship between fixed and variable costs as a major area for …
Short Message Service Surveying With Homeless Youth: Findings From A 30-Day Study Of Sleeping Arrangements And Well-Being, Kimberly A. Tyler, Kristen Olson, Colleen M. Ray
Short Message Service Surveying With Homeless Youth: Findings From A 30-Day Study Of Sleeping Arrangements And Well-Being, Kimberly A. Tyler, Kristen Olson, Colleen M. Ray
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Little is known about the location and consistency of sleeping arrangements among youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) and how this is linked to their well-being. This study addresses this gap using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) via short message service (SMS) surveying with 150 YEH over 30 days, to examine how various sleeping arrangements are associated with depression, marijuana use, support received, and service utilization. Results revealed that the average number of consecutive days youth stayed at any particular location varied considerably. Youth who stayed more frequently with a friend/partner or in a transitional living facility (TLF) reported fewer days of being …
Drawing On Lgb Identity To Encourage Participation And Disclosure Of Sexual Orientation In Surveys, Mathew Stange, Jolene D. Smyth, Kristen M. Olson
Drawing On Lgb Identity To Encourage Participation And Disclosure Of Sexual Orientation In Surveys, Mathew Stange, Jolene D. Smyth, Kristen M. Olson
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
This paper reports an experiment that tested how three survey cover designs—images of traditional families and individuals displaying themselves in typical gender ways; images of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) and heterosexual individuals and families; and no cover images—affected LGB people’s participation and disclosure of LGB identity and non-LGB people’s participation. Analyses showed the LGB-inclusive cover led to significantly more LGB respondents than the other designs, without significantly affecting the demographic, political, and religious makeup of the completed sample. We discuss what these findings mean for addressing two challenges: getting LGB people to respond to surveys and to disclose their …
Why Do Cell Phone Interviews Last Longer? A Behavior Coding Perspective, Jerry Timbrook, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth
Why Do Cell Phone Interviews Last Longer? A Behavior Coding Perspective, Jerry Timbrook, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Why do telephone interviews last longer on cell phones than landline phones? Common explanations for this phenomenon include differential selection into subsets of questions, activities outside the question-answer sequence (such as collecting contact information for cell-minute reimbursement), respondent characteristics, behaviors indicating disruption to respondents’ perception and comprehension, and behaviors indicating interviewer reactions to disruption. We find that the time difference persists even when we focus only on the question-answer portion of the interview and only on shared questions (i.e., eliminating the first two explanations above). To learn why the difference persists, we use behavior codes from the U.S./Japan Newspaper Opinion …
Comparing Survey Ranking Question Formats In Mail Surveys, Jolene Smyth, Kristen Olson, Allison Burke
Comparing Survey Ranking Question Formats In Mail Surveys, Jolene Smyth, Kristen Olson, Allison Burke
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Although questions that ask respondents to rank-order a list of items can be analytically valuable, responding to ranking questions typically requires a good deal of cognitive effort. This is especially true in mail questionnaires where the advantages of electronic response formats available in web surveys are inaccessible. In this article, we examine two alternative formats for ranking questions in mail surveys. Using a nationally representative mail survey of U.S. adults, this article experimentally compares ranking formats in which respondents write numbers in boxes versus selecting items for the most and second most important issues using a grid layout. Respondents to …
Effects Of A Government-Academic Partnership: Has The Nsf-Census Bureau Research Network Helped Improve The U.S. Statistical System?, Daniel H. Weinberg,, John M. Abowd, Robert F. Belli, Noel Cressie, David C. Folch, S. H. Holan, Margaret C. Levenstein, Kristen Olson, Jerome P. Reiter, Matthew D. Shapiro, Jolene Smyth, Leen-Kiat Soh, Bruce D. Spencer, Seth E. Spielman, Lars Vilhuber, Christopher K. Wikle
Effects Of A Government-Academic Partnership: Has The Nsf-Census Bureau Research Network Helped Improve The U.S. Statistical System?, Daniel H. Weinberg,, John M. Abowd, Robert F. Belli, Noel Cressie, David C. Folch, S. H. Holan, Margaret C. Levenstein, Kristen Olson, Jerome P. Reiter, Matthew D. Shapiro, Jolene Smyth, Leen-Kiat Soh, Bruce D. Spencer, Seth E. Spielman, Lars Vilhuber, Christopher K. Wikle
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
The National Science Foundation-Census Bureau Research Network (NCRN) was established in 2011 to create interdisciplinary research nodes on methodological questions of interest and significance to the broader research community and to the Federal Statistical System (FSS), particularly to the Census Bureau. The activities to date have covered both fundamental and applied statistical research and have focused at least in part on the training of current and future generations of researchers in skills of relevance to surveys and alternative measurement of economic units, households, and persons. This article focuses on some of the key research findings of the eight nodes, organized …
The Effects Of Respondent And Question Characteristics On Respondent Answering Behaviors In Telephone Interviews, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth, Amanda Ganshert
The Effects Of Respondent And Question Characteristics On Respondent Answering Behaviors In Telephone Interviews, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth, Amanda Ganshert
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
In a standardized telephone interview, respondents ideally are able to provide an answer that easily fits the response task. Deviations from this ideal question answering behavior are behavioral manifestations of breakdowns in the cognitive response process and partially reveal mechanisms underlying measurement error, but little is known about what question characteristics or types of respondents are associated with what types of deviations. Evaluations of question problems tend to look at one question characteristic at a time; yet questions are comprised of multiple characteristics, some of which are easier to experimentally manipulate (e.g., presence of a definition) than others (e.g., attitude …
Item Location, The Interviewer–Respondent Interaction, And Responses To Battery Questions In Telephone Surveys, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth, Beth Cochran
Item Location, The Interviewer–Respondent Interaction, And Responses To Battery Questions In Telephone Surveys, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth, Beth Cochran
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Survey researchers often ask a series of attitudinal questions with a common question stem and response options, known as battery questions. Interviewers have substantial latitude in deciding how to administer these items, including whether to reread the common question stem on items after the first one or to probe respondents’ answers. Despite the ubiquity of use of these items, there is virtually no research on whether respondent and interviewer behaviors on battery questions differ over items in a battery or whether interview behaviors are associated with answers to these questions. This article uses a nationally representative telephone survey with audio-recorded …
The Effects Of Mismatches Between Survey Question Stems And Response Options On Data Quality And Responses, Jolene Smyth, Kristen Olson
The Effects Of Mismatches Between Survey Question Stems And Response Options On Data Quality And Responses, Jolene Smyth, Kristen Olson
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Several questionnaire design texts emphasize a dual role of question wording: the wording needs to express what is being measured and tell respondents how to answer. Researchers tend to focus heavily on the first of these goals, but sometimes overlook the second, resulting in question wording that does not match the response options provided (i.e., mismatches). Common examples are yes/no questions with ordinal or nominal response options, open-ended questions with closed-ended response options, and check-all-that apply questions with forced-choice response options. A slightly different type of mismatch utilizes a question stem that can be read as asking for two different …
The Diffusion Of Tolerance: Birth Cohort Changes In The Effects Of Education And Income On Political Tolerance, Philip Schwadel, Christopher R. H Garneau
The Diffusion Of Tolerance: Birth Cohort Changes In The Effects Of Education And Income On Political Tolerance, Philip Schwadel, Christopher R. H Garneau
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Political tolerance—the willingness to extend civil liberties to traditionally stigmatized groups—is pivotal to the functioning of democracy and the well-being of members of stigmatized groups. Although political tolerance has traditionally been more common among American elites, we argue that as tolerance has increased, it has also diffused to less educated and less affluent segments of the population. The relative stability of political attitudes over the life course and the socialization of more recent birth cohorts in contexts of increased tolerance suggest that this diffusion of tolerance occurs across birth cohorts rather than time periods. Using age-period-cohort models and more than …
The Republicanization Of Evangelical Protestants In The United States: An Examination Of The Sources Of Political Realignment, Philip Schwadel
The Republicanization Of Evangelical Protestants In The United States: An Examination Of The Sources Of Political Realignment, Philip Schwadel
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Although the association between evangelical Protestant and Republican affiliations is now a fundamental aspect of American politics, this was not the case as recently as the early 1980s. Following work on secular political realignment and the issue evolution model of partisan change, I use four decades of repeated cross-sectional survey data to examine the dynamic correlates of evangelical Protestant and Republican affiliations, and how these factors promote changes in partisanship. Results show that evangelical Protestants have become relatively more likely to attend religious services and to oppose homosexuality, abortion, and welfare spending. Period-specific mediation models show that opposition to abortion, …
Social Isolation, Survey Nonresponse, And Nonresponse Bias: An Empirical Evaluation Using Social Network Data Within An Organization, Megumi Watanabe, Kristen Olson, Christina Falci
Social Isolation, Survey Nonresponse, And Nonresponse Bias: An Empirical Evaluation Using Social Network Data Within An Organization, Megumi Watanabe, Kristen Olson, Christina Falci
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Survey researchers have long hypothesized that social isolation negatively affects the probability of survey participation and biases survey estimates. Previous research, however, has relied on proxy measures of isolation, such as being a marginalized group member within a population. We re-examine the relationship between social isolation and survey participation using direct measures of social isolation derived from social network data; specifically, instrumental research and expressive friendship connections among faculty within academic departments. Using a reconceptualization of social isolation, we find that social network isolation is negatively associated with unit response. Among women (a numerical minority group within the organization), we …
Within-Household Selection In Mail Surveys: Explicit Questions Are Better Than Cover Letter Instructions, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth
Within-Household Selection In Mail Surveys: Explicit Questions Are Better Than Cover Letter Instructions, Kristen Olson, Jolene Smyth
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Randomly selecting a single adult within a household is one of the biggest challenges facing mail surveys. Yet obtaining a probability sample of adults within households is critical to having a probability sample of the US adult population. In this paper, we experimentally test three alternative placements of the within-household selection instructions in the National Health, Wellbeing, and Perspectives study (sample n = 6,000; respondent n = 998): (1) a standard cover letter informing the household to ask the person with the next birthday to complete the survey (control); (2) the control cover letter plus an instruction on the front …
Content Analysis In The Study Of Crime, Media, And Popular Culture, Lisa Kort-Butler
Content Analysis In The Study Of Crime, Media, And Popular Culture, Lisa Kort-Butler
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Content analysis is considered both a quantitative and a qualitative research method. The overarching goal of much of the research using this method is to demonstrate and understand how crime, deviance, and social control are represented in the media and popular culture. Unlike surveys of public opinions about crime issues, which seek to know what people think or feel about crime, content analysis of media and popular culture aims to reveal a culture’s story about crime. Unlike research that examines how individuals’ patterns of media consumption shape their attitudes about crime and control, content analysis appraises the meaning and messages …
Sram898 — Special Topics: Survey Informatics, Unl — Fall 2015 Course Syllabus, Adam Eck
Sram898 — Special Topics: Survey Informatics, Unl — Fall 2015 Course Syllabus, Adam Eck
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Technology is rapidly changing the way survey researchers collect, manage, and analyze data measuring public opinion. Cutting-edge methods, tools, and data types offer greater insights into both the survey process, as well as the implications of the substantive responses provided by respondents. In this course, we will explore the role of technology throughout data collection, data management, and data analysis within survey research. We will also explore the increasing need for interdisciplinary teams within research to draw from the strengths of different disciplines (e.g., survey research and methodology, computer science and engineering, cognitive psychology, sociology, statistics, etc.) to properly answer …
Methodological Considerations For A New Household Panel Survey, Kristen Olson, J. Michael Brick
Methodological Considerations For A New Household Panel Survey, Kristen Olson, J. Michael Brick
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
This paper identifies new opportunities for innovation and expansion on current survey practice in the design of a new household panel survey, including an increased use of new and mobile technologies, more frequent data collection, modified clustering, and use of non-traditional survey measures such as administrative data, planned missing/matrix sampling questionnaire design, real-time data collection, and biomarkers. These innovative data collection methods require rethinking traditional panel survey methods, but can help reduce respondent burden and expand on current social science knowledge. The paper concludes that a new household panel survey would improve knowledge about important social, economic and health issues …
A Feasibility Test Of Using Smartphones To Collect Gps Information In Face-To-Face Surveys, Kristen Olson, James Wagner
A Feasibility Test Of Using Smartphones To Collect Gps Information In Face-To-Face Surveys, Kristen Olson, James Wagner
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Survey organizations rely on interviewers to make informed and efficient decisions about their efforts in the field, including which housing units they approach to knock on doors, seeking to make appointments, and obtain interviews. This paper presents initial findings from a feasibility test on a face-to-face survey, the US National Survey of Family Growth, in which the interviewers were equipped with GPS-enabled smartphones. This test included an experiment to determine if the use of the GPS-enabled smartphone altered interviewer behavior. We evaluate interviewer compliance with the GPS request, the effects of using the GPS device on interviewer behavior, and the …
Using A Calendar And Explanatory Instructions To Aid Within-Household Selection In Mail Surveys, Mathew Stange, Jolene D. Smyth, Kristen Olson
Using A Calendar And Explanatory Instructions To Aid Within-Household Selection In Mail Surveys, Mathew Stange, Jolene D. Smyth, Kristen Olson
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Although researchers can easily select probability samples of addresses using the U.S. Postal Service’s Delivery Sequence File, randomly selecting respondents within households for surveys remains challenging. Researchers often place within-household selection instructions, such as the next or last birthday methods, in survey cover letters to select respondents. Studies show that up to 30% of selections are inaccurate and samples tend not to represent key demographics. This article tests two design elements—a calendar and explanatory wording of selection instructions in cover letters—to aid and motivate households to carry out selection procedures accurately. We empirically examine these elements in two mail surveys …
Advanced Seminar – Interviewer-Respondent Interaction: Survey Research & Methodology Special Topics 898, Spring 2012, Robert Belli
Advanced Seminar – Interviewer-Respondent Interaction: Survey Research & Methodology Special Topics 898, Spring 2012, Robert Belli
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
This course will explore the theory and observations that underlie the attempt of survey methodologists to understand the nature of interviewer-respondent interactions and their impact on data quality. This exploration will entail the examination of different interviewing methods and different methods to observe and analyze the verbal behavioral streams that occur between interviewers and respondents. In addition, analytic approaches that seek to understand the impact of verbal behaviors on data quality will be considered.
Everybody’S Doin’ It (Right?): Neighborhood Norms And Sexual Activity In Adolescence, Tara D. Warner, Peggy C. Giordano, Wendy D. Manning, Monica A. Longmore
Everybody’S Doin’ It (Right?): Neighborhood Norms And Sexual Activity In Adolescence, Tara D. Warner, Peggy C. Giordano, Wendy D. Manning, Monica A. Longmore
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
A neighborhood’s normative climate is linked to, but conceptually distinct from, its structural characteristics such as poverty and racial/ethnic composition. Given the deleterious consequences of early sexual activity for adolescent health and well-being, it is important to assess normative influences on youth behaviors such as sexual debut, number of sex partners, and involvement in casual sexual experiences. The current study moves beyond prior research by constructing a measure of normative climate that more fully captures neighborhood norms, and analyzing the influence of normative climate on behavior in a longitudinal framework. Using recently geo-coded data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study …