Sources of Data
The study design for this project requires the use of large-scale panel studies that are representative of known populations, with a minimum of three waves of measurement separated by two-year re-interview intervals. Questions were selected for use only if they were exactly replicated (exact wording, response categories, mode of interviewing, etc.) across the three waves, and if the underlying variable measured was continuous (rather than categoric) in nature. Specifically, this research is based on ten nationally (or regionally) representative panel surveys of the American population, all involving probability samples and, with one exception, all using face-to-face interviews, as shown in the table below. These selection criteria applied to these ten panel studies yielded more than 1,300 self- and proxy-report questions that are typical of the kinds of questions employed in contemporary surveys.
Table 1. Sources of data for question-specific estimates of reliability
|
|
Sample |
Number of |
| Panel studies |
Acronym |
Size |
Measures |
| Totals |
|
37,786 |
1357 |
| 1956-58-60 National Election Study Panel |
NES60s |
2,529 |
47 |
| 1972-74-76 National Election Study Panel |
NES70s |
4,455 |
122 |
| 1992-94-96 National Election Study Panel |
NES90s |
2,439 |
114 |
| Americans' Changing Lives Panel |
ACL |
3,617 |
98 |
| Study of American Families-Mother panel |
SAF-Mo |
1,113 |
56 |
| Study of American Families-Child panel |
SAF-Ch |
1,113 |
46 |
| 1998-00-02 Health and Retirement Study |
HRS |
18,645 |
154 |
| 2006-08-10 General Social Survey Panel |
GSS06 |
1,276 |
249 |
| 2008-10-12 General Social Survey Panel |
GSS08 |
1,295 |
238 |
| 2010-12-14 General Social Survey Panel |
GSS10 |
1,304 |
233 |
