Improving Cross-National/Cultural Comparability Using the Total Survey Error Paradigm

• Activity Number: 679
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 13, 2015 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Social Statistics Section
• Author(s): Tom Smith*
• Companies: NORC at the University of Chicago
• Keywords: Total survey error ; cross-national ; cross-cultural

Abstract

Total survey error (TSE) is a very valuable paradigm for describing and improving surveys, but it can be improved. One key limitation is that TSE was formulated to apply to a single, standalone survey. Yet most survey research combines and compares surveys. TSE can be extended to cover these multi-survey utilizations. TSE needs to be thought of as heavily involving the interaction of error components and the concept of comparison error should be used to extend TSE to cover multiple-surveys including trend analysis, comparative studies, and longitudinal panels. This extension of TSE will greatly improve the design of multi-surveys in general and of comparative (i.e. cross-national/cross-cultural) surveys in particular. Likewise, using TSE can greatly advance the analysis of comparative data by using it to assess and adjust for difference in the error structure across surveys. A comprehensive TSE typology should be used whenever comparative studies are designed and also whenever secondary analysis of comparative studies is carried out. In particular strict application of the TSE paradigm can help to achieve the goal of functional equivalence cross-nationally/culturally.