A new study published in methods, data, analyses (mda) examines how video and in-person survey interviews differ in interviewer and respondent communication behaviors and whether those differences affect data quality. The article, How Does Video Interviewing Affect the Interviewers’ and Respondents’ Paralinguistic Behaviors? A First Exploration, was coauthored by Hanyu Sun, PhD, of Westat, and Frederick G. Conrad, PhD, of the University of Michigan.
Analyzing 710 question-and-answer sequences from interviews conducted by professional survey interviewers, the study found that most paralinguistic behaviors, such as verbal interruptions or irregularities in the flow of speech, occurred at similar rates across both modes. Laughter was more common in video interviews, which the authors attribute to greater communication challenges in that setting. Importantly, this difference did not affect the adequacy of respondents’ answers.
The findings reinforce evidence that video interviewing is a reliable alternative to in-person data collection, producing comparable respondent experiences and data quality.