The limitations of stranger-interviewers in rural Kenya

Virtually all survey data are collected by "strangers," that is, individuals with no prior social relationship with respondents. Although it has long been recognized that attitudes toward strangers vary cross-culturally, there has been no systematic discussion of how this variation might affect survey data. This article attempts such a discussion, using data from a longitudinal research study in rural Kenya. It reviews qualitative impressions of insider- and stranger-related issues within the specific Kenyan field setting, drawing primarily on field notes. Relevant areas of social theory and the data collection literature are reviewed briefly. Finally, using the project longitudinal survey data, empirical tests are presented which allow for an evaluation of differential data quality across insider- and stranger-interviewers on three dimensions: differential response rates, differential reliability of responses, and differential response validity. The results suggest that insider-interviewers increase response rates and collect more consistent data across survey waves. They also suggest that data collected by female insiders in particular appear to be superior for most questions and of equal quality for others.