Measurement Equivalence and Extreme Response Bias in the Comparison of Attitudes across Europe

It is generally accepted that both measurement inequivalence and extreme response bias can seriously distort measurement of attitudes and subsequent causal models. However, these two issues have rarely been investigated together. In this article we demonstrate the flexibility of a multigroup latent class factor approach in both analysing measurement equivalence and detecting extreme response bias. Using data from the European Value Survey from 1999/2000, we identified an extreme response bias in answering Likert type questions on attitudes towards morals of compatriots. Furthermore, we found measurement inequivalence in form of direct effects of countries on response variables. When only one of these two issues – either measurement inequivalence or extreme response bias - was included into measurement model estimated effects of countries on attitudinal dimension were different from those obtained with a model that includes both measurement issues. Using this all-inclusive model we have got more valid estimates of the differences between countries on measured attitude.