The factorial survey as a method for measuring attitudes in population surveys

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The factorial survey is a method that links the advantages of survey research with those of experimental design. Respondents evaluate hypothetical object or situation descriptions rather than single items. Over the past 25 years we have observed a continually increasing use of this method in the social sciences. Nevertheless, empirically supported criteria for the practical implementation and systematic evaluation of the quality of factorial surveys are still lacking. The main objectives of the project are to test the relevance of various method effects and to evaluate different statistical models for analyzing data taking their specific multilevel structure und sampling procedure into account. By gathering four different data sets in the first phase of the project we systematically conducted a number of survey experiments. The project now aims to comprehensively analyze the data gathered, to carry out one supplementary experiment on presentation modes, and to develop a software module that will be generally applicable in survey research for conducting factorial surveys. It is of vast importance to investigate the suitability of factorial survey design in general population surveys and infer general recommendations for survey research.