Interviewer Effects in the Measurement of Personal Network Size

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Abstract
Methods for delineating personal networks in surveys contain complex instructions for the interviewers. It is assumed that the interviewers' experience and education influence their ability to follow these instructions. The magnitude of the interviewer effects on the personal network size has been investigated, and differences among interviewers have been explained on the basis of their experience and education. The data are from a survey among 4,059 older adults in the Netherlands interviewed in 1992 by 87 interviewers. A strong interviewer effect was observed. Furthermore, the results of a multilevel regression analysis showed that, controlled for respondent characteristics, well-educated interviewers with minor experience prior to the project and major experience within the project (i.e., the high sequence number of the interview) generated relatively large networks.