Part-Whole Question Order Effects: Views of Rurality

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Abstract
A split-ballot design was used to assess part-whole question order effects in a mail survey. A general question asked for the respondent's perceptions of the overall life quality in rural areas relative to other areas; a series of 19 similar questions asked for the relative quality of specific aspects of rural life. When the general question was asked after the specific items, subjects were more likely to answer the general question, less likely to respond that rural areas were “the same” as other areas, and more positive in their opinions about rural places. The addition of a preamble–instructing subjects to read both the general and the list of specific items before answering either–failed to alter these findings. The order effects on responses to the general question did not appear to represent either a simple assimilation (carryover) effect or a contrast (backfire) effect, both of which have been found by other researchers. Possible reasons for the conificting findings are discussed.

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