ABSTRACT
Knowledge of the different types of measurement errors in survey research and the nature and sources of survey errors is critical for preparing survey researchers to consider measurement errors in planning and managing survey research and in interpreting findings. In this chapter, using theories of why and how people respond to a survey and theories of why and how survey errors occur to inform us of the genesis of survey errors, sources of random and systematic errors related to designing and implementing the participant sampling process and data collection are discussed within a theoretical framework of survey error. Theories of why people respond to survey include altruism, cognitive dissonance theory of consistency, social exchange theory, and leverage-salience theory. Theories of errors in responses to a survey include effects of instrument design (wording effect, item order effect, and item grouping effects), participant-biased responses (intentional and unintentional response bias, response style, and rating of others), and contextual effects (due to mode of survey administration, experimental setting, and stakes of the survey).
