The cross-country measurement comparability in the immigration module of the European Social Survey 2014-15

Authors

  • Eldad Davidov University of Cologne, Germany and University of Zurich http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3396-969X
  • Jan Cieciuch University of Zurich, Switzerland and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland
  • Peter Schmidt University of Giessen, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2018.v12i1.7212

Keywords:

Attitudes toward immigration, realistic threat, cross-country comparability, multigroup confirmatory factor analysis, exact and approximate measurement invariance, European Social Survey

Abstract

The 7th round of the European Social Survey (ESS) from 2014-15 includes a partial repetition of the immigration module from the first ESS wave (2002-03) with information on individual attitudes toward immigration and immigrants in both old and new immigration societies. The goal of the present study is to test whether and to what extent questions in the module are equivalent across ESS countries. We performed two types of measurement equivalence tests: exact and approximate. Whereas the exact approach requires that measurement parameters are exactly equal across groups, the approximate and newer approach suggests that it is sufficient that measurement parameters are approximately equal to allow a meaningful comparison across groups. Our findings suggest that two measurement scales, allowing immigrants into the country and realistic threat, are approximately invariant across most ESS countries.

Author Biographies

Eldad Davidov, University of Cologne, Germany and University of Zurich

Eldad Davidov (corresponding author): Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology, University of Cologne, Germany; e.davidov@uni-koeln.de, and URPP project Social Networks University of Zurich, Switzerland Bio: Eldad Davidov is Professor of Sociology at the University of Cologne (Germany) and co-director of the University Research Priority Program “Social Networks” at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). He is president of the European Survey Research Association. His research interests are applications of structural equation modeling to survey data, especially in cross-cultural and longitudinal research. Applications include human values, national identity, and attitudes toward immigrants and other minorities. Recent publications on these topics appeared in Sociological Methods & Research, Social Science Research, Public Opinion Quarterly, Annual Review of Sociology, Psychological Methods, European Sociological Review, European Journal of Social Psychology, Frontiers in Psychology, and the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.

Jan Cieciuch, University of Zurich, Switzerland and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland

Jan Cieciuch: URPP project Social Networks, University of Zurich, Switzerland and Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland; jancieciuch@gmail.com Jan Cieciuch is Associate Professor of Psychology at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (Poland) and project leader in the University Research Priority Program “Social Networks” at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). His research interests focus on theoretical and empirical examinations of value and personality theories, structural equation modeling, and cross-cultural research. Recent publications appeared in the Annual Review of Sociology, the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Public Opinion Quarterly, Frontiers in Psychology, Political Behavior, and the British Journal of Psychology.

Peter Schmidt, University of Giessen, Germany

Peter Schmidt is Professor Emeritus of Social Research Methods at the University of Giessen (Germany). His research interests are the foundations and applications of structural equation models, analysis of panel data, and empirical testing of rational choice theory. Applications include national identity, immigration, values, and environmental behavior. Recent publications appeared in the Annual Review of Sociology, Psychological Methods, Public Opinion Quarterly, International Journal of Public Opinion Research, International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Frontiers in Psychology, Survey Research Methods, Methodology, and European Sociological Review.

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Published

2018-04-12

How to Cite

Davidov, E., Cieciuch, J., & Schmidt, P. (2018). The cross-country measurement comparability in the immigration module of the European Social Survey 2014-15. Survey Research Methods, 12(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/10.18148/srm/2018.v12i1.7212

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