Group Differences in Opinion Instability and Measurement Errors: A G-Theory Analysis of College Students

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1. Verfasser: Zheng, Bang Quan
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2023
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author Zheng, Bang Quan
author_facet Zheng, Bang Quan
contents This study examines opinion instability among individuals from different ethnic groups (White, Latino, and Asian Americans) by analyzing measurement errors in survey measures. Using a multi-wave panel dataset of college students and employing generalizability theory, the study uncovers significant patterns. The results reveal that White students exhibit higher attitude reliability, characterized by larger variances in true opinions and smaller measurement errors. In contrast, Latino and Asian American students display lower attitude stability, with lower variances in true opinions and higher variances in both item-specific and measurement errors. Disparities in political socialization and issue concerns contribute to the observed attitude instability among Latino and Asian American students. Moreover, Asian American and Latino respondents require a greater number of survey items to mitigate measurement error compared to their White counterparts. However, the impact of multiple waves of surveys on improving reliability is limited for Latino and Asian American students compared to White students. These findings deepen our understanding of attitude instability across ethnic groups and underscore the importance of further research in this area.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2306_17311
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Group Differences in Opinion Instability and Measurement Errors: A G-Theory Analysis of College Students
Zheng, Bang Quan
Applications
This study examines opinion instability among individuals from different ethnic groups (White, Latino, and Asian Americans) by analyzing measurement errors in survey measures. Using a multi-wave panel dataset of college students and employing generalizability theory, the study uncovers significant patterns. The results reveal that White students exhibit higher attitude reliability, characterized by larger variances in true opinions and smaller measurement errors. In contrast, Latino and Asian American students display lower attitude stability, with lower variances in true opinions and higher variances in both item-specific and measurement errors. Disparities in political socialization and issue concerns contribute to the observed attitude instability among Latino and Asian American students. Moreover, Asian American and Latino respondents require a greater number of survey items to mitigate measurement error compared to their White counterparts. However, the impact of multiple waves of surveys on improving reliability is limited for Latino and Asian American students compared to White students. These findings deepen our understanding of attitude instability across ethnic groups and underscore the importance of further research in this area.
title Group Differences in Opinion Instability and Measurement Errors: A G-Theory Analysis of College Students
topic Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.17311