ERIC Number: EJ1441451
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Dec
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0193-841X
EISSN: EISSN-1552-3926
When Who Matters: Interviewer Effects and Survey Modality
Rebecca Walcott; Isabelle Cohen; Denise Ferris
Evaluation Review, v48 n6 p1024-1049 2024
When and how to survey potential respondents is often determined by budgetary and external constraints, but choice of survey modality may have enormous implications for data quality. Different survey modalities may be differentially susceptible to measurement error attributable to interviewer assignment, known as interviewer effects. In this paper, we leverage highly similar surveys, one conducted face-to-face (FTF) and the other via phone, to examine variation in interviewer effects across survey modality and question type. We find that while there are no cross-modality differences for simple questions, interviewer effects are markedly higher for sensitive questions asked over the phone. These findings are likely explained by the enhanced ability of in-person interviewers to foster rapport and engagement with respondents. We conclude with a thought experiment that illustrates the potential implications for power calculations, namely, that using FTF data to inform phone surveys may substantially underestimate the necessary sample size for sensitive questions.
Descriptors: Surveys, Research Methodology, Error of Measurement, Interviews, Questioning Techniques, Telephone Surveys, Power Structure, Data Use, Sample Size, Program Design, Program Evaluation
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A