The Impact of Showcard Use on Selected Point-Rating Scales in Face-to-Face Surveys: Evidence from the European Social Survey.

This article investigates the impact of showcard use on data quality in face-to-face surveys, specifically focusing on item-missing data and middle-point selection in satisfaction questions from the European Social Survey Round 9 (ESS9), which includes 29 European countries. The study finds that respondents who used all applicable showcards had significantly lower odds of item-nonresponse and middle-point selection compared to those who used some or none, suggesting that showcards enhance cognitive engagement and improve response quality. Additional factors influencing data quality include respondent age, gender, education, interviewer characteristics, and third-party interference during interviews. The findings support the use of showcards in survey design and interviewer training to reduce measurement error and call for further research on showcard use across different survey modes and question types.