Replication Data for: Don't Know What You Got: A Bayesian Hierarchical Model of Neuroticism and Nonresponse

Individuals who are more sensitive to negative outcomes from error are more likely to provide nonresponses in surveys. We argue Neurotics’ sensitivity to negative outcomes leads them to avoid gathering costly information and forming/reporting opinions about stimuli. Using data from the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, we show Neuroticism is strongly and positively associated with NA/DK responses when placing politicians on a 7-point ideological scale. We then introduce to political science a Bayesian hierarchical model that allows nonresponse to be generated by both a lack of information as well as disincentives for response. Using this model, we show that the NA/DK responses in these data are due to inhibited information collection and indecision from error avoidance by Neurotics.

对犯错带来的负面结果更为敏感的个体，在问卷调查中更易出现无应答情况。本文认为，神经质（Neuroticism）特质者对负面结果的敏感性，会使其回避收集成本高昂的信息，也不愿针对相关评价对象形成并汇报自身观点。借助2014年国会选举合作研究（Cooperative Congressional Election Study）的数据，我们证实：在将政客置于7点意识形态量表进行评价时，神经质特质与无应答/不知晓（NA/DK）应答呈显著正相关。随后我们向政治学领域引入了一种贝叶斯层级模型（Bayesian hierarchical model），该模型可同时基于信息匮乏与应答抑制诱因生成无应答数据。借助该模型，我们发现本次调研数据中的NA/DK应答，源于神经质个体因回避犯错而抑制了信息收集，同时陷入决策犹豫。