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The Impact of Question Format, Context, and Content on Survey Answers in Early and Late Adolescence

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  • Diersch Nadine

    (Aging & Cognition Research Group, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Magdeburg, Germany, and Department of Psychology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany.)

  • Walther Eva

    (Department of Psychology, University of Trier, Universitätsring 15, 54296 Trier, Germany.)

Abstract

Self-reports in surveys are often influenced by the presented question format and question context. Much less is known about how these effects influence the answers of younger survey respondents. The present study investigated how variations in response format, answer scale frequency, and question order influence self-reports of two age groups: younger (11–13 years old) and older (16–18 years old) adolescents. In addition, the impact of the respondents’ level of familiarity with the question content was taken into account. Results indicated that younger adolescents are more strongly influenced by the presented question format and context than older adolescents. This, however, was dependent on the particular question content, implying that response effects are more pronounced when questions deal with issues that lie outside of the respondents’ field of experience. Implications of these findings in survey research with younger respondents are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Diersch Nadine & Walther Eva, 2016. "The Impact of Question Format, Context, and Content on Survey Answers in Early and Late Adolescence," Journal of Official Statistics, Sciendo, vol. 32(2), pages 307-328, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:vrs:offsta:v:32:y:2016:i:2:p:307-328:n:6
    DOI: 10.1515/jos-2016-0018
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    1. Schwarz, Norbert, 2003. "Self-Reports in Consumer Research: The Challenge of Comparing Cohorts and Cultures," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(4), pages 588-594, March.
    2. Natacha Borgers & Dirk Sikkel & Joop Hox, 2004. "Response Effects in Surveys on Children and Adolescents: The Effect of Number of Response Options, Negative Wording, and Neutral Mid-Point," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 38(1), pages 17-33, February.
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