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Number of answer categories for bipolar item specific scales in face-to-face surveys: Does more mean better?

Author

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  • Marc Asensio

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

  • Melanie Revilla

    (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Abstract

Since decades, surveys have been the main source of data in a considerable amount of studies. Designing surveys implies taking many decisions which affect the data quality and thus the results. In this paper, we focus on one of these decisions: the number of answer categories in bipolar closed-ended item specific attitudinal questions. We investigate the measurement quality (product of reliability and validity) of such scales using data from three Multitrait-Multimethod experiments implemented in the European Survey Social (face-to-face): two about social trust (rounds 1 and 4), and one about immigration (round 6). Data are analyzed using the Estimation Using Pooled Data procedure (Saris and Satorra in Struct. Equ. Modeling 25(5): 659–672, 2018). The results show that, out of the three scales tested, the 11-point scale has higher quality in the immigration experiment whereas in the social trust experiments, the 6-point is the one with the highest quality.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Asensio & Melanie Revilla, 2022. "Number of answer categories for bipolar item specific scales in face-to-face surveys: Does more mean better?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 1413-1433, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:56:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1007_s11135-021-01183-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11135-021-01183-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anna DeCastellarnau, 2018. "A classification of response scale characteristics that affect data quality: a literature review," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(4), pages 1523-1559, July.
    2. Diana Zavala-Rojas & Willem E. Saris, 2018. "Measurement Invariance in Multilingual Survey Research: The Role of the Language of the Questionnaire," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 485-510, November.
    3. Willem E. Saris & Melanie Revilla, 2016. "Correction for Measurement Errors in Survey Research: Necessary and Possible," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 1005-1020, July.
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