Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 102544 |
| Journal | Social Sciences Research: A Quarterly journal of social science methodology and quantitative research |
| Volume | 97 |
| Early online date | 2 Mar 2021 |
| Publication status | Published - Jul 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
The measurement of respondents' attitudes is key in social science research and many adjacent research fields. A common method to measure this information is to use Likert-type questions that consist of a statement that is evaluated with a rating scale. As shown by previous research, the scale design of Likert-type questions can have a profound impact on respondents’ answer behavior. In this study, we therefore investigate the measurement properties of scales that systematically vary with respect to polarity (i.e., unipolar and bipolar) and labeling (i.e., completely and end). We conducted a survey experiment in a probability-based online panel (N = 4851) and used questions on income (in)equality that were adopted from the European Social Survey (ESS). The results reveal considerable differences between the scales under investigation. They show that end labeled unipolar and bipolar scales accomplish the criteria of equidistance best. Completely labeled bipolar scales, in contrast, only show a poor performance in terms of equidistance. Completely labeled unipolar scales are somewhere in between. Overall, our findings suggest that researchers should be careful when using survey data measured with (slightly) different scales because the results might not be comparable.
Keywords
- Latent thresholds, Likert-type questions, Measurement invariance, Online survey, Rating scale design
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Education
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
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In: Social Sciences Research: A Quarterly journal of social science methodology and quantitative research, Vol. 97, 102544, 07.2021.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Measurement properties of completely and end labeled unipolar and bipolar scales in Likert-type questions on income (in)equality
AU - Höhne, Jan Karem
AU - Krebs, Dagmar
AU - Kühnel, Steffen M.
N1 - Funding Information: We acknowledge funding by German Science Foundation through the Collaborative Research Center 884 “Political Economy of Reforms” (grant number: 139,943,784 ).
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - The measurement of respondents' attitudes is key in social science research and many adjacent research fields. A common method to measure this information is to use Likert-type questions that consist of a statement that is evaluated with a rating scale. As shown by previous research, the scale design of Likert-type questions can have a profound impact on respondents’ answer behavior. In this study, we therefore investigate the measurement properties of scales that systematically vary with respect to polarity (i.e., unipolar and bipolar) and labeling (i.e., completely and end). We conducted a survey experiment in a probability-based online panel (N = 4851) and used questions on income (in)equality that were adopted from the European Social Survey (ESS). The results reveal considerable differences between the scales under investigation. They show that end labeled unipolar and bipolar scales accomplish the criteria of equidistance best. Completely labeled bipolar scales, in contrast, only show a poor performance in terms of equidistance. Completely labeled unipolar scales are somewhere in between. Overall, our findings suggest that researchers should be careful when using survey data measured with (slightly) different scales because the results might not be comparable.
AB - The measurement of respondents' attitudes is key in social science research and many adjacent research fields. A common method to measure this information is to use Likert-type questions that consist of a statement that is evaluated with a rating scale. As shown by previous research, the scale design of Likert-type questions can have a profound impact on respondents’ answer behavior. In this study, we therefore investigate the measurement properties of scales that systematically vary with respect to polarity (i.e., unipolar and bipolar) and labeling (i.e., completely and end). We conducted a survey experiment in a probability-based online panel (N = 4851) and used questions on income (in)equality that were adopted from the European Social Survey (ESS). The results reveal considerable differences between the scales under investigation. They show that end labeled unipolar and bipolar scales accomplish the criteria of equidistance best. Completely labeled bipolar scales, in contrast, only show a poor performance in terms of equidistance. Completely labeled unipolar scales are somewhere in between. Overall, our findings suggest that researchers should be careful when using survey data measured with (slightly) different scales because the results might not be comparable.
KW - Latent thresholds
KW - Likert-type questions
KW - Measurement invariance
KW - Online survey
KW - Rating scale design
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85101878202&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102544
DO - 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2021.102544
M3 - Article
C2 - 34045005
AN - SCOPUS:85101878202
VL - 97
JO - Social Sciences Research: A Quarterly journal of social science methodology and quantitative research
JF - Social Sciences Research: A Quarterly journal of social science methodology and quantitative research
SN - 0049-089X
M1 - 102544
ER -