Suchergebnisse

Presented are research results comparing levels of error in survey Rs' self-reported registration & voting behavior, & independent verification of it. The consequences of these measurement errors for standard models of electoral participation & for estimates of the partisan division of the vote are assessed. Data come from 2 national surveys, each involving 2,300+ interviews with members of the US electorate, conducted in 1976 & 1978. These data were combined with field visits to local election administration offices to verify reported electoral participation. The analysis shows consistent misreporting of political behavior in both surveys of 12 percentage points for both registration status & voting. There was strong evidence of a bandwagon effect in the reported direction of the vote, favoring the winner but tempered by the candidate's relative electoral performance. No major changes were observed in the fundamental nature of basic relationships in 3 standard models of political participation when the dependent variable was switched from a self-reported to validated measure. 6 Tables, Appendix. AA.

Results are presented of a project which validated the reported registration & voting behavior of respondents in a national election study. The acuracy of reported voting behavior in the 1976 general election is assessed in terms of the demographic characteristics of the respondents to the Center for Political Studies National Election Study as well as the extent of their participation in a survey panel begun in 1972. Increased levels of registration & turnout are observed in association with the number of interviews in which respondents participated, & three alternative social psychological models of the effects of preelection interviews are evaluated. Although the interview apparently served as a stimulus to voting, neither a model associated with self-concept theory or alienation theory appears to explain the phenomenon adequately. The interview effect is significant & appears to be cumulative, indicating that researchers using the survey method with panel designs should be sensitive to the effects of their method on the behavior which they are trying to measure. 7 Tables. AA.