IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cup/pscirm/v14y2026i2p255-275_1.html

Analyzing the impact of events through surveys: formalizing biases and introducing the dual randomized survey design

Author

Listed:
  • Bertoli, Andrew
  • Jakli, Laura
  • Pascoe, Henry

Abstract

Social scientists often compare survey responses before and after important events to test how those events impact respondent beliefs, attitudes, and preferences. This article offers a formal analysis of such pre-event/post-event survey comparisons, including designs that seek to reduce bias using quota sampling, rolling cross-sections, and panels. Our analysis distinguishes major sources of bias and clarifies the comparative strengths and weaknesses of each approach. We then introduce a modified panel design—the dual randomized survey—to reduce bias in cases where asking respondents to complete the same survey twice could impact their Wave 2 responses. Our formalization of bias and novel research design improve scholars’ ability to study the causal impact of events through surveys.

Suggested Citation

  • Bertoli, Andrew & Jakli, Laura & Pascoe, Henry, 2026. "Analyzing the impact of events through surveys: formalizing biases and introducing the dual randomized survey design," Political Science Research and Methods, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 255-275, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:pscirm:v:14:y:2026:i:2:p:255-275_1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2049847026100880/type/journal_article
    File Function: link to article abstract page
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cup:pscirm:v:14:y:2026:i:2:p:255-275_1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Kirk Stebbing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cambridge.org/ram .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.