Refusal risk due to interviewers' characteristics and dealing with racism in metropolitan areas : a face-to-face survey research in Brussels /

In this case study we discuss the challenge of dealing with refusal risk due to 'role-independent interviewer' effects, with a focus on ethnicity. When undertaking a face-to-face survey in a middle-class neighborhood of the Brussels-Capital Region in 2020, we were confronted with a high no...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Giordano, Chiara, active 2024 (Author), Jacobs, Dirk, active 2024 (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2024.
Series:SAGE Research methods: diversifying and decolonizing research.
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Online Access:Connect to the full text of this electronic book
Description
Summary:In this case study we discuss the challenge of dealing with refusal risk due to 'role-independent interviewer' effects, with a focus on ethnicity. When undertaking a face-to-face survey in a middle-class neighborhood of the Brussels-Capital Region in 2020, we were confronted with a high noncontact and refusal rate. This was mainly the result of a combination of exogenous factors, including poor weather conditions, IT problems, and the start of the COVID-19 sanitary crisis. Such force majeure was highly unfortunate but easier to tackle than the impact of role-independent interviewer effects. Because during our fieldwork some of our interviewers were confronted with explicit forms of racism and discriminatory behaviours, due to their ethnic background, we discuss the practical and ethical implications of dealing with the high prevalence of role-independent interviewer effects when surveying in a metropolitan neighborhood. Our findings show that the role-independent interviewer effects linked to gender and ethnicity can be a major obstacle in survey research, both in terms of response rates and in terms of ethics.
Physical Description:1 online resource.
ISBN:9781529684001
1529684005