TY - JOUR
T1 - Not Being Accurate Is Not Quite the Same as Being Inaccurate
T2 - Variations in Reported (in)Accuracy of Perceptions of Political Views of Network Members Due to Uncertainty
AU - Eveland,, William P.
AU - Song, Hyunjin
AU - Hutchens, Myiah J.
AU - Levitan, Lindsey Clark
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2019/10/2
Y1 - 2019/10/2
N2 - Most existing evidence suggests that accuracy in perceptions of political preferences within communication networks is reasonably high, but closer examination suggests this may not be true. Perceptions may be accurate, inaccurate, or respondents may offer no perceptions to evaluate for accuracy due to uncertainty. We re-analyze data from several published studies to evaluate whether different treatments of “don’t know” (DK) and similar ambiguous responses matters when evaluating accuracy levels. It does, sometimes leading to dramatically altered conclusions regarding accuracy. We also reanalyze recent data to evaluate the individual and group-level factors (with an emphasis on communication and homophily) that lead to such DK responses, and consider the implications of the treatment of DK responses for inferences about the role of communication in producing truly accurate perceptions.
AB - Most existing evidence suggests that accuracy in perceptions of political preferences within communication networks is reasonably high, but closer examination suggests this may not be true. Perceptions may be accurate, inaccurate, or respondents may offer no perceptions to evaluate for accuracy due to uncertainty. We re-analyze data from several published studies to evaluate whether different treatments of “don’t know” (DK) and similar ambiguous responses matters when evaluating accuracy levels. It does, sometimes leading to dramatically altered conclusions regarding accuracy. We also reanalyze recent data to evaluate the individual and group-level factors (with an emphasis on communication and homophily) that lead to such DK responses, and consider the implications of the treatment of DK responses for inferences about the role of communication in producing truly accurate perceptions.
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U2 - 10.1080/19312458.2019.1612865
DO - 10.1080/19312458.2019.1612865
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85066028051
VL - 13
SP - 305
EP - 311
JO - Communication Methods and Measures
JF - Communication Methods and Measures
SN - 1931-2458
IS - 4
ER -