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Fear of the Dark? A Systematic Comparison of Written Vignettes and Photo Vignettes in a Factorial Survey Experiment on Fear of Crime
[journal article]
Abstract
Measuring attitudes with vignettes is frequently based on the assumption that the presented context information facilitates a better imagination of topics under study, serving for more valid responses as compared to more usual questionnaire methods. In this study, we focus on the presentation format... view more
Measuring attitudes with vignettes is frequently based on the assumption that the presented context information facilitates a better imagination of topics under study, serving for more valid responses as compared to more usual questionnaire methods. In this study, we focus on the presentation format of vignettes and assume that, in particular, the presentation of photo vignettes facilitates a close context approximation, hereby taking fear of crime from the perspective of broken windows theory as an example of use. A split ballot experiment within the framework of a cross-sectional online survey introduced a variation of the presentation format of a factorial survey experiment and allowed for measuring the difference between using either written vignettes or photo vignettes. While the split ballot experiment used a between-subjects design, each factorial survey experiment used a within-subjects design. The reported level of feelings of unsafety serves as a measure of fear of crime. Results show that, first, all dimensions of the factorial surveys predicted the respective level of fear of crime in both presentation formats, in the direction expected by broken windows theory. Measurement error seems slightly reduced within written vignettes. Second, presentation format-specific differences were observed for dimensions representing physical features of the setting, such as darkness, only, thereby slightly favouring photo vignettes. We finally discuss methodological implications of these results.... view less
Keywords
survey research; data collection method; attitude; measurement; criminality; anxiety; data capture; questionnaire; photography
Classification
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods
Free Keywords
Factorial Survey Experiments; Presentation format; Written vignettes; Photo vignettes; Broken Windows Theory; Fear of Crime
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 201-234
Journal
Methods, data, analyses : a journal for quantitative methods and survey methodology (mda), 16 (2022) 2
ISSN
2190-4936
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed