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Interviewer effects and the measurement of financial literacy

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  • F. Crossley, Thomas
  • Schmidt, Tobias
  • Tzamourani, Panagiota
  • K. Winter, Joachim

Abstract

In this paper we ask whether interviewers influence the answers to a standard set of survey questions on financial literacy. We study data from Germany’s wealth survey, Panel on Household Finances (PHF). We have access to extensive paradata, including interviewer identifiers, background characteristics of interviewers, and measures of interviewer activity through the survey. We find that interviewer effects explain a significant fraction of the variance of the financial literacy score, and inter-interviewer correlations are notably larger for the financial literacy score than for other survey variables. We explore how accounting for interviewer effects can improve estimates of the effects of financial literacy on financial behaviours and outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • F. Crossley, Thomas & Schmidt, Tobias & Tzamourani, Panagiota & K. Winter, Joachim, 2017. "Interviewer effects and the measurement of financial literacy," ISER Working Paper Series 2017-06, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:ese:iserwp:2017-06
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    2. Elisabeth Beckmann & Christa Hainz & Sarah Reiter, 2022. "Third-Party Loan Guarantees: Measuring Literacy and its Effect on Financial Decisions (Elisabeth Beckmann, Christa Hainz, Sarah Reiter)," Working Papers 237, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank).
    3. Zuzana Brokesova & Andrej Cupak & Anthony Lepinteur & Marian Rizov, 2021. "Wealth, Assets and Life Satisfaction: A Metadata Instrumental-Variable Approach," Working and Discussion Papers WP 4/2021, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    4. Cupák, Andrej & Fessler, Pirmin & Hsu, Joanne W. & Paradowski, Piotr R., 2022. "Investor confidence and high financial literacy jointly shape investments in risky assets," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    5. Andrzej Cwynar & Beata Świecka & Kamil Filipek & Robert Porzak, 2022. "Consumers' knowledge of cashless payments: Development, validation, and usability of a measurement scale," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 640-665, June.
    6. Zuzana Brokesova & Andrej Cupak & Gueorgui Kolev, 2017. "Financial literacy and voluntary savings for retirement in Slovakia," Working and Discussion Papers WP 10/2017, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.

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