The quality of survey questions in Spain: a cross-national comparison

Abstract

Most social research collects data about abstract concepts (e.g., attitudes) using survey questions. However, survey data suffer from measurement errors that affect substantive conclusions. When measurement errors differ across countries, cross-national comparisons of standardized relationships can result in incorrect substantive conclusions. However, no research has analysed the measurement quality of survey questions in Spain in a comparative perspective.

Using a Split-Ballot Multitrait-Multimethod experiment conducted in the European Social Survey round 8, we compare the quality of questions in Spain with their quality in other participating countries. The average measurement quality in Spain is higher than the overall average for all ESS countries. In addition, when comparing Spain with other countries, substantive conclusions can be incorrect if differences in the size of measurement errors are not taken into account.