NCJ Number
231892
Journal
Journal of Experimental Criminology Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2010 Pages: 293-323
Date Published
September 2010
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This study examined the question-order effect of a survey in the context of victimization and perceptions of safety, and explored whether different arrangements of survey questions regarding victimization affects respondents' perceptions of safety on a college campus and whether effects of question order vary by respondent characteristics.
Abstract
Surveys are commonly used in the field of criminology and criminal justice; however, the effects of survey design on study findings are rarely examined. Using a randomized experiment, this study examined the effects of question order in a victimization survey on respondents' perceptions of safety. The interactions between respondents' characteristics and question-order effects were also explored. The simple question-order effect was not found for the overall sample, but further examination revealed that respondent characteristics such as sex and victim status interact with the arrangement of questions. The implications of the findings for victimization survey research, and more generally for studies using surveys as a primary tool, are discussed. Tables, figure, appendix, and references (Published Abstract)