Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation |
Reliability Concerns in Measuring Respondent Skin Tone by Interviewer Observation
Public Opinion Quarterly
Volume 80, Issue 2 (2016)
DOI: 10.1093/poq/nfw015
pages 534-541
Lance Hannon, Professor
Department of Sociology & Criminology
Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania
Robert DeFina, Professor
Department of Sociology & Criminology
Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania
The current study assesses the intercoder reliability of one of the most important skin tone measurement instruments—the Massey–Martin scale. This scale is used in several high-profile social surveys, but has not yet been psychometrically evaluated. The current evaluation is only possible because, for the first time, the General Social Survey’s 2010–2014 panel used the instrument to guide interviewers’ skin tone observation of the same respondents in two different years (2012 and 2014). Despite the widespread use of the Massey–Martin scale to investigate potential effects of skin tone on social attitudes and outcomes, the data suggest that the measure has low intercoder reliability. Implications for researchers and survey practitioners are discussed.
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Tags: General Social Survey, Lance Hannon, Massey-Martin scale, Public Opinion Quarterly, Robert DeFina