- Professor emeritus(social science methododology) University of Giessen, member of the centre for international develo... moreProfessor emeritus(social science methododology) University of Giessen, member of the centre for international development and environment (ZEU), research fellow at the Centre for psychosomatics at the University of Mainz.edit
Testing Interaction with Three Different Methods in the Theory of Planned Behavior: An Analysis of Traffic Behavior Data
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Determining whether people in certain countries score differently in measurements of interest or whether concepts relate differently to each other across nations can indisputably assist in testing theories and advancing our sociological... more
Determining whether people in certain countries score differently in measurements of interest or whether concepts relate differently to each other across nations can indisputably assist in testing theories and advancing our sociological knowledge. However, meaningful comparisons of means or relationships between constructs within and across nations require equivalent measurements of these constructs. This is especially true for subjective attributes such as values, attitudes, opinions, or behavior. In this review, we first discuss the concept of cross-group measurement equivalence, look at possible sources of nonequivalence, and suggest ways to prevent it. Next, we examine the social science methodological literature for ways to empirically test for measurement equivalence. Finally, we consider what may be done when equivalence is not supported by the data and conclude with a review of recent developments that offer exciting directions and solutions for future research in cross-nati...
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One of the most frequently used procedures for measurement invariance testing is the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). Muthén and Asparouhov recently proposed a new approach to test for approximate rather than exact... more
One of the most frequently used procedures for measurement invariance testing is the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). Muthén and Asparouhov recently proposed a new approach to test for approximate rather than exact measurement invariance using Bayesian MGCFA. Approximate measurement invariance permits small differences between parameters otherwise constrained to be equal in the classical exact approach. However, extant knowledge about how results of approximate measurement invariance tests compare to the results of the exact measurement invariance test is missing. We address this gap by comparing the results of exact and approximate cross-country measurement invariance tests of a revised scale to measure human values. Several studies that measured basic human values with the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) reported problems of measurement noninvariance (especially scalar noninvariance) across countries. Recently Schwartz et al. proposed a refined value theory and...
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In this article we test the effects of national attachments (patriotism and chauvinism) and perception of threat on citizens' willingness to concede citizenship rights to immigrants in France, Germany (West and East), the USA and... more
In this article we test the effects of national attachments (patriotism and chauvinism) and perception of threat on citizens' willingness to concede citizenship rights to immigrants in France, Germany (West and East), the USA and Israel. Our findings show that despite marked differences in countries' migration policies and conceptions of nationhood, no significant differences were found in attitudes towards the allocation of citizenship rights to immigrants. Furthermore, our analysis suggests that contrary to our expectations, 1) the effects of both chauvinism and patriotism on willingness to grant citizenship rights to immigrants were rather low in Germany and Israel — the two ethno-national states, and strongest in France and the USA — which stand for republican and multicultural models of incorporation, respectively; 2) the effects of threat on exclusion of immigrants from citizenship rights was weaker in Israel (ethnic democracy) but stronger in the liberal democratic co...
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[eng] European Sociological Chronicle OFCE sociological group A set of three papers on European social change is presented here. The first one analyses the German reunification. On many aspects (standard of living, gender inequalities,... more
[eng] European Sociological Chronicle OFCE sociological group A set of three papers on European social change is presented here. The first one analyses the German reunification. On many aspects (standard of living, gender inequalities, opinions, etc.) the east-west homogenisation is a long, problematic and unachieved process. Closing the social gap is not a simple economical issue. The eastern identity is
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Nach der Vereinigung beider deutscher Staaten im Jahr 1990 hat sich neben dem Verhaltnis zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschen die Beziehung zwischen Deutschen und Auslandern als besonders zentral fur die weitere Entwicklung Deutschlands... more
Nach der Vereinigung beider deutscher Staaten im Jahr 1990 hat sich neben dem Verhaltnis zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschen die Beziehung zwischen Deutschen und Auslandern als besonders zentral fur die weitere Entwicklung Deutschlands erwiesen. Sowohl im Verhaltnis zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschen als auch in den Beziehungen zwischen Deutschen und den in Deutschland lebenden Auslandern stellt sich die Frage nach gerechter Verteilung (Kluegel/Mason/Wegener 1995). Diese bezieht sich aber nicht nur auf objektive Faktoren, wie das Erreichen bestimmter Bildungsabschlusse, beruflicher Positionen und das Einkommen. Vielmehr wirken die objektiven sozialstukturellen Merkmale auf das Mas der wahrgenommenen Benachteiligung auf individueller und gruppenbezogener Ebene. In der Debatte um die Erklarung des Ausmases der Abwertung von Auslandern werden zwei Erklarungsansatze besonders haufig genannt:
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It has often been observed in experimental studies that the reliability of items increases if the same questions are asked of the same respondents more than once. This phenomenon, called the “Socratic effect,” also occurs in... more
It has often been observed in experimental studies that the reliability of items increases if the same questions are asked of the same respondents more than once. This phenomenon, called the “Socratic effect,” also occurs in nonexperimental, short-wave panel studies. In the first section of this article a number of hypotheses presumed to underlie the “Socratic effect” are presented. It is argued that a distinction must be made between consistency processes at the structural level (latent attitudes) and the observational level (respondent behavior). Given this distinction, the hypotheses are tested within a LISREL framework that takes this differentiation into account. The hypotheses are then evaluated using four items to measure respondents' attitudes toward guestworkers in West Germany. By and large the central hypotheses are confirmed. It is also shown that two different models can be fit to the observed data equally well, and therefore a nonstatistical criterion has to be inv...
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... steps of sampling that included qualitative charac-teristics regarding to the content of special results (cluster analysis) and quantitative methods (random ... In the following section we give a short overview about the cluster... more
... steps of sampling that included qualitative charac-teristics regarding to the content of special results (cluster analysis) and quantitative methods (random ... In the following section we give a short overview about the cluster analysis applied, its results and a comparison of cluster ...
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This article summarizes the results of a research project on the organizational aspects of the legitimacy crisis at West German universities during the late 1960s. Theories on bureaucratization and professionalization were used to deduce... more
This article summarizes the results of a research project on the organizational aspects of the legitimacy crisis at West German universities during the late 1960s. Theories on bureaucratization and professionalization were used to deduce relevant propositions. These were tested by causal analysis and decomposition into direct and indirect effects. The results exemplify problems arising when using the results of empirical research to guide policy recommendations. Proposals are put forward to integrate empirically tested causal models and action research into research strategies.
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Over the last decades, large international datasets such as the European Social Survey (ESS), the European Value Study (EVS) and the World Value Survey (WVS) have been collected to compare value means over multiple time points and across... more
Over the last decades, large international datasets such as the European Social Survey (ESS), the European Value Study (EVS) and the World Value Survey (WVS) have been collected to compare value means over multiple time points and across many countries. Yet analyzing comparative survey data requires the fulfillment of specific assumptions, i.e., that these values are comparable over time and across countries. Given the large number of groups that can be compared in repeated cross-national datasets, establishing measurement invariance has been, however, considered unrealistic. Indeed, studies which did assess it often failed to establish higher levels of invariance such as scalar invariance. In this paper we first introduce the newly developed approximate approach based on Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) to assess cross-group invariance over countries and time points and contrast the findings with the results from the traditional exact measurement invariance test. BSEM e...
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In many countries farmers face pressure to adopt practices to promote sustainability and resilience while ensuring efficient business management to produce food and other agricultural products at reasonable cost. Given a policy context in... more
In many countries farmers face pressure to adopt practices to promote sustainability and resilience while ensuring efficient business management to produce food and other agricultural products at reasonable cost. Given a policy context in which voluntary action is preferred over government regulation, understanding farmers' motivation to embrace recommended practices has become a major subject for research. Increasingly, this endeavour is guided by the theory of planned behaviour, a reasoned action approach (Fishbein and Ajzen, 2010). We provide a brief overview of the theory of planned behaviour and an elaboration of good practices in the assessment of the theory's constructs. We systematically review 124 applications of the theory to farmer behaviour on a number of specific review criteria. Based on observations of improper use, we consider theoretical and methodological issues and provide recommendations for research design and data analysis.
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Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis has become the most common technique for assessing measurement invariance. However, higher-order factor modeling is less frequently discussed in this context. In particular, the literature... more
Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis has become the most common technique for assessing measurement invariance. However, higher-order factor modeling is less frequently discussed in this context. In particular, the literature provides only very general guidelines for testing measurement invariance of second-order factor models, which is a prerequisite for conducting meaningful comparative research using higher-order factors. The current paper attempts to fill this gap. First, we explicate the constraints required for identification of the invariance levels in a multiple group second-order factor model. Second , in addition to the conventional interpretation of the results of this assessment, we suggest an alternative view on the invariance properties of a second-order factor as evidence of structural rather than measurement invariance. Third, we present an empirical application of the test which builds on Seeman's alienation scale and utilizes data from eight countries collected in 2008-2009. We found empirical support for metric invariance of both the first-and second-order factors, but no support for scalar invariance of the first-and second-order factors. However, we find pairs of countries where scalar invariance for both the first-and second-order factors is supported by the data. We finalize with a discussion of the results and their interpretation.
Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis has become the most common technique for assessing measurement invariance. However, higher-order factor modeling is less frequently discussed in this context. In particular, the literature... more
Multiple group confirmatory factor analysis has become the most common technique for assessing measurement invariance. However, higher-order factor modeling is less frequently discussed in this context. In particular, the literature provides only very general guidelines for testing measurement invariance of second-order factor models, which is a prerequisite for conducting meaningful comparative research using higher-order factors. The current paper attempts to fill this gap. First, we explicate the constraints required for identification of the invariance levels in a multiple group second-order factor model. Second , in addition to the conventional interpretation of the results of this assessment, we suggest an alternative view on the invariance properties of a second-order factor as evidence of structural rather than measurement invariance. Third, we present an empirical application of the test which builds on Seeman's alienation scale and utilizes data from eight countries collected in 2008-2009. We found empirical support for metric invariance of both the first-and second-order factors, but no support for scalar invariance of the first-and second-order factors. However, we find pairs of countries where scalar invariance for both the first-and second-order factors is supported by the data. We finalize with a discussion of the results and their interpretation.
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The 7th round of the European Social Survey (ESS) from 2014-15 includes a partial repetition of the immigration module from the first ESS wave (2002-03) with information on individual attitudes toward immigration and immigrants in both... more
The 7th round of the European Social Survey (ESS) from 2014-15 includes a partial repetition of the immigration module from the first ESS wave (2002-03) with information on individual attitudes toward immigration and immigrants in both old and new immigration societies. The goal of the present study is to test whether and to what extent questions in the module are equivalent across ESS countries. We performed two types of measurement equivalence tests: exact and approximate. Whereas the exact approach requires that measurement parameters are exactly equal across groups, the approximate and newer approach suggests that it is sufficient that measurement parameters are approximately equal to allow a meaningful comparison across groups. Our findings suggest that two measurement scales, opposition toward immigration and realistic threat, are approximately invariant across most ESS countries and this allows the comparison of both associations with other theoretical constructs of interest and means.
Religious socialization occurs within the immediate family as well as in the broader social context. Previous research has shown that parents' religiosity matters less for the transmission of religious beliefs in devout than in secular... more
Religious socialization occurs within the immediate family as well as in the broader social context. Previous research has shown that parents' religiosity matters less for the transmission of religious beliefs in devout than in secular nations, implying smaller costs of religious socialization. In this article we test which other societal factors affect the transmission of religious beliefs: anti-religious policies in formerly socialist countries, economic development, and income inequality. Our results indicate that societies with high levels of income inequality seem to provide the most favorable context for religious socialization. Individuals develop strong religious beliefs even if they only received little religious socialization within the family. Formerly socialist nations increased socialization costs through the overall suppression of religious practice. Economic development has no impact on socialization effects, suggesting that inequality is a more important driver of religious change than previously thought.
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This study examined gender differences in university students’ intentions to buy fair trade (FT) products through the lens of the moral norm extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Data were obtained from 782 students at the... more
This study examined gender differences in university students’ intentions to buy fair trade (FT) products through the lens of the moral norm extended theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Data were obtained from 782 students at the University of Luxemburg. Results of structural equation analysis indicated that the inclusion of moral norms increased the explained variance in behavioural intentions from 62 to 69.4%. Compared to men, women reported more favourable attitude, higher moral obligation, and stronger intentions toward buying FT products. Moderating analyses showed that the attitude–intentions relationship was stronger for men, whereas the perceived behavioural control–intentions relationship was stronger for women. The implications of the moderation analysis are that sustainability professionals seeking to encourage university students’ intentions to buy FT products should develop gender-targeted interventions: for men, more emphasis should be placed on attitude toward buying F...
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Throughout the past decade, HIV rates in Florida—particularly South Florida, where many Latina seasonal farmworkers reside and work—have ranked among the highest in the nation. In this brief report, we delineate important lessons learned... more
Throughout the past decade, HIV rates in Florida—particularly South Florida, where many Latina seasonal farmworkers reside and work—have ranked among the highest in the nation. In this brief report, we delineate important lessons learned and preliminary findings from the implementation of the HIV prevention intervention Progreso en Salud (Progress in Health). Among the 114 Latina seasonal farmworker participants, there were significant increases from baseline to 6-month follow-up in the percentages of overall condom use, HIV testing, HIV/AIDS-related communications with friends, HIV knowledge, condom use self-efficacy, and correct use of condoms. Lessons learned from this study can be used to inform future HIV intervention strategies to improve the adoption and maintenance of HIV risk reduction behaviors among high-risk Latina seasonal workers and other high-risk underserved populations. Future research is needed to support our findings.
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The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) comprises 10 basic values that guide behavior. The Schwartz model postulates that these 10 values build a circumplex structure. We examined the PVQ with respect to its dimensional structure using a... more
The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) comprises 10 basic values that guide behavior. The Schwartz model postulates that these 10 values build a circumplex structure. We examined the PVQ with respect to its dimensional structure using a representative sample (N = 1896) of the German population. The results of three widely used analyses were compared: multidi-mensional scaling, factorial analysis (with varimax rotation) of raw scores, and factorial analysis with ipsative values. Furthermore , rank correlations between the theoretically assumed circular distances and the empirical data were calculated. The analyses confirmed that the 10 dimensions of the PVQ can be depicted in a two-dimensional plane. However, the statistical techniques chosen yielded different arrangements of the 10 values in the plane. All statistical methods failed to confirm the circumplex structure postulated by Schwartz. Nevertheless, dimensions of higher order that condense the 10 dimensions can be derived for applications of the PVQ.
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In this article we test the effects of national attachments (patriotism and chauvinism) and perception of threat on citizens' willingness to concede citizenship rights to immigrants in France, Germany (West and East), the... more
In this article we test the effects of national attachments (patriotism and chauvinism) and perception of threat on citizens' willingness to concede citizenship rights to immigrants in France, Germany (West and East), the USA and Israel. Our findings show that despite marked differences in countries' migration policies and conceptions of nationhood, no significant differences were found in attitudes towards the