Cross-Cultural Comparability

Survey data comparing different countries and cultures is becoming ever more common. However, before taking cross-cultural survey data comparisons as valid, it is imperative to test whether the survey items measure the same concept across various groups of respondents. I assess cross-cultural comparability by testing the measurement invariance assumption across different countries or groups. As a developing field, I also look into new ways and methods to test for measurement invariance, as well as to determine the causes of non-invariance. Most of my work has been directed at testing the cross-cultural comparability of several concepts in the European Social Survey.

Papers & Reports:

Pirralha, André, Wiebke Weber, and Diana Zavala-Rojas. 2019. The detrimental effects of reverse worded items: An example from the ESS. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Pirralha, André, and Wiebke Weber. 2019. Measurement Invariance of Social Trust in the ESS: Comparing Exact vs. Approximate Measurement Invariance Approaches (ESS ERIC #3 Deliverable 5.12). London: European Social Survey ERIC.

Pirralha, André, and Wiebke Weber. 2018. Correction for Measurement Error in Invariance Testing: An Illustration Using SQP. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Pirralha, André, and Weber, Wiebke. 2018. Evaluation of measurement quality and cross-country comparison of complex concept ‘Energy Efficacy Beliefs’ (ESS ERIC #3 Deliverable 5.9). London: European Social Survey ERIC.

Pirralha, André, and Wiebke Weber. 2018. Evaluation of measurement quality and cross-country comparison of ‘Perceived consequences of social policies’ (ESS ERIC #3 Deliverable 5.8). London: European Social Survey ERIC.

Pirralha, André. 2016. Assessing Political Trust Measurement Equivalence: A Longitudinal European Analysis. Manuscript submitted for publication.

Pirralha, André, and Wiebke Weber. 2014. Evaluations of the Measurement of the Concepts ‘Political Satisfaction’ and ‘Quality of State Services’. RECSM working paper (51).