EFFECTS OF SPOUSE PRESENCE DURING THE INTERVIEW ON SURVEY RESPONSES CONCERNING MARRIAGE

Data from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households were used to examine the correlates of spouse presence during face-to-face interviews and the impact of spouse presence on responses to sensitive questions concerning marriage. Results suggest that variation in interview privacy can be a source of response effects in survey data on marriage. When spouses were present during the interview, subjective assessments of the utility of marriage were more positive, higher estimates of spouse contributions to housework were obtained, and men gave lower estimates of the likelihood of marital dissolution. There was some indication that spouse presence led to a greater willingness to report sensitive factual information concerning the marriage. Respondents were more likely to report cohabiting with the spouse before marriage if the spouse was present, and self-reported levels of marital conflict were higher. Implications of these findings for survey design are discussed.