Panel Conditioning

Researchers using panel data usually assume that the act of measuring respondents’ attitudes and behaviors has no effect on the attributes being measured and thus can be interpreted as real change. Recently, this assumption has been put into question. However, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the circumstances when panel conditioning occurs and how problematic it is for analyses.
This volume tries to give profound answers to these questions. Based on data from a seven-wave campaign panel and parallel cross-sectional surveys we analyze the mechanisms and the extent of panel conditioning. Results show that repeated interviewing influences the way panel respondents think about their answers. Thus, repeatedly asking respondents about their opinions is not without consequences. In fact, panel conditioning leads to stronger beliefs and can change a respondent’s attitudes as well as behaviors – effects that would not have be seen without asking the same questions several times.