TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of interviewer experience on acquiescence
AU - Olson, Kristen
AU - Bilgen, Ipek
N1 - Funding Information:
KRISTEN OLSON is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Survey Research and Methodology (SRAM) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA. IPEK BILGEN is a doctoral candidate at the SRAM program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA. Both authors contributed equally to this research. The ANES materials are based on work supported by, in alphabetical order, the National Science Foundation [SES-0118451] and the University of Michigan. The GSS materials were collected by NORC under a grant from the National Science Foundation as part of the National Data Program for the Social Sciences, No. 18, and distributed by the Roper Center. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations. *Address correspondence to Kristen Olson, Department of Sociology, 703 Oldfather Hall, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA; e-mail: [email protected].
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Experienced interviewers are commonly thought to achieve better quality survey data than inexperienced interviewers. Yet few empirical examinations of differences in data quality on attitudinal questions for experienced versus inexperienced interviewers exist. In this article, we examine whether experienced and inexperienced interviewers differ in their levels of a commonly evaluated data quality measure - acquiescence - in two national surveys. We hypothesize that experienced interviewers will have higher rates of acquiescence than inexperienced interviewers due to either differential pace or differential behaviors. We find that experienced interviewers obtain higher levels of acquiescent reports than do inexperienced interviewers, even after accounting for potential differences in interviewer and respondent characteristics. These differences across interviewers are not mediated by differential pace of the interview, as measured by interview length, implying that there may be differences in interview behaviors for experienced and inexperienced interviewers. We conclude with implications for survey practice and interviewer training and monitoring.
AB - Experienced interviewers are commonly thought to achieve better quality survey data than inexperienced interviewers. Yet few empirical examinations of differences in data quality on attitudinal questions for experienced versus inexperienced interviewers exist. In this article, we examine whether experienced and inexperienced interviewers differ in their levels of a commonly evaluated data quality measure - acquiescence - in two national surveys. We hypothesize that experienced interviewers will have higher rates of acquiescence than inexperienced interviewers due to either differential pace or differential behaviors. We find that experienced interviewers obtain higher levels of acquiescent reports than do inexperienced interviewers, even after accounting for potential differences in interviewer and respondent characteristics. These differences across interviewers are not mediated by differential pace of the interview, as measured by interview length, implying that there may be differences in interview behaviors for experienced and inexperienced interviewers. We conclude with implications for survey practice and interviewer training and monitoring.
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U2 - 10.1093/poq/nfq067
DO - 10.1093/poq/nfq067
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:79952690825
SN - 0033-362X
VL - 75
SP - 99
EP - 114
JO - Public Opinion Quarterly
JF - Public Opinion Quarterly
IS - 1
ER -