A Comparison of Geosampling and Random Walk Methods for Household Sample Selection in Uttar Pradesh, India

Our research evaluates an innovative sampling technique for household surveys called “geosampling” which leverages recent advances in geographic information systems, computer vision algorithms, and satellite imagery. We compare geosampling to the random walk method. We conducted two surveys in Uttar Pradesh, India: one using geosampling (1,026 completes) and another using random walk (939 completes). We compare the two sampling techniques along three dimensions: (a) performance indicators—response rates and contact attempts; (b) sample composition; and (c) components of variance. We help researchers understand the survey contexts for which geosampling and random walk are best suited.

Flooding the Zone: How Exposure to Implausible Statements Shapes Subsequent Belief Judgments

Much scholarly attention has been paid to the effects of misinformation on beliefs and attitudes, but rarely have studies investigated potential downstream effects of misinformation exposure on belief judgments involving subsequent factual statements. Drawing from work on anchoring-and-adjustment and defensive reasoning, this study examines how exposure to initial falsehoods that vary in terms of their plausibility shapes subsequent belief judgments. Across two survey experiments, we find that initial exposure to a less plausible statement decreases belief in subsequent statements, whether true or false. This order effect has implications for misinformation research, as studies examining audience responses to a single falsehood may fail to capture the full range of misinformation effects. Other implications are discussed in this article.

Xenophobia in the Time of a Pandemic: Social Media Use, Stereotypes, and Prejudice against Immigrants during the COVID-19 Crisis

This study examines the relationship between social media use, disease risk perception, social and political trust, and out-group stereotyping and prejudice during a social upheaval. Analyses of primary data collected during the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore found that disease risk perception is positively related to stereotyping and prejudice against Chinese immigrants. Individuals who used social media for news were more likely to stereotype and express prejudice. However, those who engaged in frequent heterogenous discussions, and had more extensive social networks, were less likely to stereotype and express prejudice. Higher social and political trust was also associated with lower stereotyping and prejudice. Finally, moderation effects of network characteristics on the relationship between risk perception, social trust, and prejudice were observed.

Do Interviewers Affect Measures of Factual Political Knowledge? Evidence from Austria and Germany

This study examines how interviewers’ gender and education affect the measured level of factual political knowledge by drawing on competing theoretical frameworks: stereotype threat theory and interviewer noncompliance with the instructions. Testing these mechanisms using survey data from the Austrian National Election Study (AUTNES) and the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), we find no evidence for a stereotype threat effect, but seem to observe interviewer effects resulting from interviewer non-compliance. In Germany, respondents’ measured level of knowledge was significantly higher when a male interviewer, regardless of his education, conducted the interview, compared with low educated female interviewers. This finding has implications for survey-based studies, which measure factual political knowledge, for example attempts to limit such effects should be made during the interviewer briefing.

Complementary and competitive framing of driverless cars: framing effects, attitude volatility, or attitude resistance?

This study answers two research questions regarding framing theory. First, what happens when frames are challenged? Second, how resistant are the opinions that initial frames induce? 1,006 participants completed an online experiment where they were randomly assigned to first view a blog post with either complementary or competitive framing on driverless cars. Participants also viewed a blog post that challenged the stance of the first blog post. Results revealed that complementary frames polarized opinions, while competitive frames neutralized framing effects. Competitive frames induced more resistant opinions than complementary frames did. Attitude and support were susceptible to new, antagonistic information. This study concludes that framing effects are ephemeral and easily challenged by different information.