Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Pages: 729-760

Journal: Sociological Methods and Research

Volume number: 47

Issue number: 4

ISSN: 0049-1241

eISSN: 1552-8294

Open access status: Green

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124116672678

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Abstract: 
It is necessary to test for equivalence of measurements across groups to guarantee that comparisons of regression coefficients or mean scores of a latent factor are meaningful. Unfortunately, when tested, many scales display nonequivalence. Several researchers have suggested that nonequivalence may be used as a useful source of information as to why equivalence is biased and proposed employing a multilevel structural equation modeling (MLSEM) approach to explain why equivalence is not given. This method can consider a latent between-level factor and/or single contextual variables and use them to explain items' nonequivalence. In the current study, we show that this method may also be useful for social science studies in general and for survey research and sociological comparative studies in particular when one fails to establish cross-group equivalence. We utilize data from the International Social Survey Program national identity module (2003) to test for the cross-country equivalence of a scale measuring attitudes toward granting citizenship rights to immigrants. As expected, the scale fails to achieve scalar equivalence. However, we explain a significant part of the most nonequivalent intercept by a latent between-level factor and one contextual variable, namely, the percentage of foreigners in the country relying on group threat theory. We show that the method does not necessarily rectify nonequivalence, but it can help to explain why it is absent.

Harvard Citation style: Davidov, E., Duelmer, H., Cieciuch, J., Kuntz, A., Seddig, D. and Schmidt, P. (2018) Explaining Measurement Nonequivalence Using Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling: The Case of Attitudes Toward Citizenship Rights, Sociological Methods and Research, 47(4), pp. 729-760. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124116672678

APA Citation style: Davidov, E., Duelmer, H., Cieciuch, J., Kuntz, A., Seddig, D., & Schmidt, P. (2018). Explaining Measurement Nonequivalence Using Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling: The Case of Attitudes Toward Citizenship Rights. Sociological Methods and Research. 47(4), 729-760. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124116672678