Comparing responses in repeated cross-sectional and panel studies: Results across eight weeks during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark

Author(s)

Ingo Zettler, Lau Lilleholt, Robert Böhm, Matthias Gondan

Abstract

It is often important to study people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors over time. To this end, researchers have relied on repeated cross-sectional (RCS) studies, in which different people from the same population participate on different measurement occasions. Also, researchers have relied on panel studies, in which the same group of people participate on different measurement occasions. However, few studies have directly tested whether participants' responses in RCS studies were similar to those found in panel studies. To address this gap, we compared the responses to 33 items, 28 of which were further grouped into four aggregates (Affections, Worries, States, Health concerns), over 8 weeks during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark in a RCS study (overall N = 5,993, per measurement occasion 616

≤

964)

with the

responses in a largely equivalent panel study (993

≤

2,546 across

measurement occasions).

The study

participants were randomly drawn from the same quota-representative participant

pool and

responded to

the same items on the same measurement occasions. Results indicated a few

differences

between the

study samples on the

rst

measurement occasion (i.e., selection effects between studies).

Further, we

found statistical support for different trajectories in 21 aggregates/items.

However, visual

inspection

of the trajectories suggested subtle differences between the studies at large.

The results thus raise

awareness

that the trajectories of people

’

s thoughts,

feelings, and behaviors can differ between survey

methods,

especially when only a few measurement occasions are considered. Nevertheless,

such differences

might not be

substantial over time.

Organisation(s)

External organisation(s)

University of Copenhagen, Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck

Journal

Psychological Assessment

Volume

Pages

691-704

No. of pages

ISSN

1040-3590

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001048

Publication date

08-2021

Peer reviewed

Yes

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

501021 Social psychology

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health, Clinical Psychology

Portal url

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/9695a202-f78c-463e-a02a-e7213c27a6aa