Margins of Error A Study of Reliability in Survey Measurement

This book argues that the consideration of the presence and extent of measurement errors in survey data leads to improvement in the overall collection and analysis of survey data. Its main purpose is to identify which types of questions and which types of interviewer practices produce the most valid and reliable data.

Duane F. Alwin, PHD, is McCourtney Professor of Sociology and Demography and Director of the Center on Population Health and Aging at Pennsylvania State University. In addition to a concentration on survey methodology, his research interests include a wide range of phenomena concerned with the connection of human development and social change, as well as the impact of demographic and historical processes on individual cognitive, ideological, and attitudinal development. Dr. Alwin has published extensively in social science literature and is the recipient of more than two dozen prestigious awards, grants, and special university honors.