May 12, 2011

I read an insightful article in Quirk’s Marketing Research Review that focused on the challenges researchers face when conducting global studies. Titled, Are Global Scales as Easy as 1-2-3 or A-B-C, Survey Sampling International’s Kristin Cavallaro examined the findings from her seven-country study that tested two versions of a five-point scale. I was happy to see that my own research and experience in this area aligns with many of Ms. Cavallaro’s conclusions.

The article is a good reminder that comparing results across countries is not as simple as adjusting the questionnaire (e.g., translating language, changing brand lists, etc). As Ms. Cavallaro points out, there are also “social and cultural variations that drive respondent thought processes around the world.” Specifically, the way respondents use scales varies by country. Like Ms. Cavallaro, we at Lightspeed Research have also seen that “different cultures have different response styles, even when faced with nominally identical scales.” Some cultures gravitate towards the middle of scales, while others prefer the positive end of scales.

These differences in response styles obviously complicate comparisons across countries. I once saw research findings concluding that Latin Americans are more green and environmentally conscious than U.S. respondents. Upon closer inspection, the real difference was not in their attitudes, but in their scale usage. Latin Americans tend to use more positive scale points, which makes it appear they are more green.

Researchers often compare results from concept and advertising tests to scores in a database. A normative database may not exist for a given country, so researchers might compare scores to a database from another country. To ensure accurate conclusions, researchers should pick a country that uses scales in a similar way.

There can also be differences within a country. Hispanics in the U.S., for example, tend to use the positive end of scales, making it difficult to compare results between Hispanics and Non-Hispanics.

Ms. Cavallaro’s article very deftly underscores that global research is not, after all, as easy as 1-2-3.

Category:Data Quality, Survey Best Practices
Posted on May 12, 2011



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