Can survey item characteristics relevant to mode-specific measurement error be coded reliably?

Abstract

In multi - mode questionnaire design, usually some consideration is given to mode - specific measurement error. Despite this consideration, however, these measurement effects can be unexpectedly large. For this reason, there is a strong incentive to better predict mea surement effects. This may be done by constructing profiles of a questionnaire, in which relevant item characteristics are summarized. For all items of a survey, these item characteristics need to be coded and combined. In this paper, we evaluated a list o f item characteristics that literature has reported as relevant to mode - specific measurement error. Most importantly, we evaluated the reliability of the coding of such characteristics. Our results showed that intercoder reliability can be low for the most relevant characteristics. This may be explained by the difficulty of defining the item characteristics and the inherent subjectivity with which these item characteristics are coded. Finally, some sug gestions a re made for coping with low intercoder reliabi lity.