Magnifying Relationships Between Attitudinal Variables Using Panel Analysis
In: Public opinion quarterly: journal of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, Band 38, Heft 1, S. 90-97
ISSN: 0033-362X
Random responses can be attributed to a series of variables which are not functionally related to the content of the instrument; the effects of such random responses on the testing of substantive hypotheses are investigated. R's were separated into 2 groups (on the basis of an item for which all change was random): stayers, who did not change over time; & movers, who changed randomly. To determine the degree to which relationships between variables at any single point in time could be strengthened by identifying & removing the 'movers', identical analyses were carried out for each group separately. After separating movers & stayers, the corrections between responses to 2 measures of political efficacy were examined for all 3 waves of a panel study. Considerable variability was found in the correlations, but correlations were consistently higher for the stayers. The greatest constraint between the 2 items was shown by those who stayed over all 3 waves (the most stable group). Thus, the relationship between the 2 measures of efficacy was considerably strengthened by removing the movers. The index of political saliency was found to be the most predictive variable for both mover groups & the whole sample; the age of 1st party identification was most closely related to voting punctuality for all 3 stayer groups. The mover-stayer distinction is pertinent in inferring the predictive power of specific independent variables. 2 Tables. H. Dorian.