Does the race of an interviewer matter? This question was...

Does the race of an interviewer matter? This question was investigated and reported in an issue of Chance magazine. $^{2}$ The interviewer asked, "Do you feel that affirmative action should be used as an occupation selection criteria?" with possible answers of yes or no. a. What problems might you expect with responses to this question when asked by interviewers of different ethnic origins? b. When people were interviewed by an African American, the response was about $70 \%$ in favor of affirmative action, approximately $35 \%$ when interviewed by an Asian, and approximately $25 \%$ when interviewed by a Caucasian. Do these results support your answer in part a?

Does the race of an interviewer matter? This question was investigated and reported in an issue of Chance magazine. $^{2}$ The interviewer asked, "Do you feel that affirmative action should be used as an occupation selection criteria?" with possible answers of
yes or no.
a. What problems might you expect with responses to this question when asked by interviewers of different ethnic origins?
b. When people were interviewed by an African American, the response was about $70 \%$ in favor of affirmative action, approximately $35 \%$ when interviewed by an Asian, and approximately $25 \%$ when interviewed by a Caucasian. Do these results support your answer in part a?

Key Concepts

Interviewer Effects

This concept refers to the phenomenon where the characteristics of the interviewer, such as their race, gender, or demeanor, influence the responses of survey participants. In the context of surveys and interviews, differences in interviewer identity may lead respondents to answer questions in ways that align with perceived social expectations or comfort levels, thereby affecting the reliability and interpretation of the data.

Social Desirability Bias

Social desirability bias occurs when respondents answer questions in a manner that they believe will be viewed favorably by others. When the interviewer’s race or other sociocultural characteristics are considered, respondents may alter their responses to avoid judgment or to conform to what they perceive are the interviewer’s views, potentially skewing survey results and compromising objective data collection.

Survey Methodology

Survey methodology encompasses the techniques and principles involved in designing, conducting, and analyzing surveys. It includes considerations for how interviewer characteristics, question wording, and data collection processes can impact response validity and reliability. Recognizing potential biases such as those arising from interviewer effects and social desirability bias is essential to ensuring the integrity and interpretability of survey findings.

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