Ageism; Alignment optimization; European social survey (ESS); Measurement invariance or measurement equivalence; Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA); Education
Abstract :
[en] Age is an important dimension that is used by people to categorize others. Age-based discrimination is directed toward specific age groups (young and old). In spite of their importance, attitudes toward the elderly have hardly been studied from a cross-country perspective. The fourth round of the European Social Survey (ESS) from 2008-2009 offers, for the first time, the opportunity to study ageism and attitudes toward age groups from a cross-country perspective (European Social Survey Round 4 Data, 2008). However, this opportunity also bears the risk of drawing wrong conclusions, if the scales measuring ageism are not comparable across the countries under study. Such comparisons require measurement equivalence across countries. In the current study, utilizing ESS fourth round data from 29 European countries we examine the cross-country measurement equivalence properties of two concepts that are measured by multiple indicators in the module: (1) competence and warmth and (2) experience of age discrimination. We test for measurement equivalence using two analytical methods: multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) and the alignment optimization. Our findings suggest that cross-country comparisons of these measures are trustworthy. We briefly discuss crosscountry differences in competence and warmth and experience of age discrimination. Finally, we underline the importance of testing the cross-group equivalence of measurement instruments before using them in different groups (such as countries) so that meaningful substantive conclusions can be drawn.
Disciplines :
Sociology & social sciences
Author, co-author :
Seddig, Daniel ✱; Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne, Germany
MASKILEYSON, Dina ✱; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Social Sciences (DSOC) > Political Science ; Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne, Germany
Davidov, Eldad ✱; Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences, University of Cologne, Germany ; URPP “Social Networks”, Department of Sociology, University of Zurich, Switzerland ; The Minerva Center on Intersectionality in Aging, University of Haifa, Israel
✱ These authors have contributed equally to this work.
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
The comparability of measures in the ageism module of the fourth round of the European social survey, 2008-2009
Publication date :
2020
Journal title :
Survey Research Methods
ISSN :
1864-3361
Publisher :
European Survey Research Association
Volume :
14
Issue :
4
Pages :
351 - 364
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funding text :
The third author would like to thank the University of Zurich Research Priority Programme “Social Networks” for their support. The authors would like to thank Lisa Trierweiler for the English proof of the manuscript.
Abrams, D., Lima, L., & Coudin, G. (2008). Experiences and expressions of ageism. A proposal for a rotating module for the 4th round of the European Social Survey. Retrieved from http://www.europeansocialsurvey.org/docs/round4/questionnaire/ESS4_abrams_proposal. pdf
Andreoletti, C., Maurice, J. K., & Whalen, H. (2001). Gender, race, and age: Compound stereotypes across the lifespan. Poster presented at the Second Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, TX.
Avolio, B. J., & Barrett, G. V. (1987). Effects of age stereotyping in a simulated interview. Psychology and Aging, 2(1), 56-63.
Ayalon, L. (2013). Feelings towards older vs. younger adults:Results from the European Social Survey. Educational Gerontology, 39(12), 888-901.
Beauducel, A., & Herzberg, P. Y. (2006). On the performance of maximum likelihood versus means and variance adjusted weighted least squares estimation in CFA. Structural Equation Modeling, 13(2), 186-203.
Bodner, E., & Lazar, A. (2008). Ageism among Israeli students:Structure and demographic influences. International Psychogeriatrics, 20(5), 1046-1058.
Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York, NY: Wiley.
Bratt, C., Abrams, D., Swift, H. J., Vauclair, C.-M., & Marques, S. (2018). Perceived age discrimination across age in Europe: From an ageing society to a society for all ages. Developmental Psychology, 54(1), 167-180.
Brown, T. A. (2015). Confirmatory factor analysis for applied research (2nd). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Butler, R. N. (1969). Age-ism: Another form of bigotry. The Gerontologist, 9(4/1), 243-246.
Butler, R. N. (1975). Psychiatry and the elderly: An overview. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 132(9), 893-900.
Byrne, B. M., Shavelson, R. J., & Muthén, B. (1989). Testing for the equivalence of factor covariance and mean structures: The issue of partial measurement invariance. Psychological Bulletin, 105(3), 456-466.
Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 14(3), 464-504.
Cieciuch, J., Davidov, E., Algesheimer, R., & Schmidt, P. (2018). Testing for approximate measurement invariance of human values in the European Social Sur vey. Sociological Methods & Research, 47, 665-686. doi:10.1177/0049124117701478
Cieciuch, J., Davidov, E., & Schmidt, P. (2018). Alignment optimization: Estimation of the most trustworthy means in cross-cultural studies even in the presence of noninvariance. In E. Davidov, P. Schmidt, J. Billiet, & B. Meuleman (Eds.), Cross-cultural analysis:Methods and applications (pp. 571-593). New York:Routledge.
Cieciuch, J., Davidov, E., Schmidt, P., Algesheimer, R., & Schwartz, S. H. (2014). Comparing results of an exact vs. an approximate (Bayesian) measurement invariance test: A cross-country illustration with a scale to measure 19 human values. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1-10.
Collins, M. H., Hair Jr, J. F., & Rocco, T. S. (2009). The older-worker-younger-supervisor dyad: A test of the reverse Pygmalion effect. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 20(1), 21-41.
Cuddy, A. J., & Fiske, S. T. (2002). Doddering, but dear:Process, content, and function in stereotyping of elderly people. In T. D. Nelson (Ed.), Ageism (pp. 3-26). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Cuddy, A. J., Fiske, S. T., & Glick, P. (2004). When professionals become mothers, warmth doesn’t cut the ice. Journal of Social Issues, 60(4), 701-718.
Cuddy, A. J., Norton, M. I., & Fiske, S. T. (2005). This old stereotype: The pervasiveness and persistence of the elderly stereotype. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 267-285.
Davidov, E., Cieciuch, J., Meuleman, B., Schmidt, P., Algesheimer, R., & Hausherr, M. (2015). The comparability of measurements of attitudes toward immigration in the European Social Survey: Exact versus approximate measurement equivalence. Public Opinion Quarterly, 79(S1), 244-266.
Davidov, E., Dülmer, H., Cieciuch, J., Kuntz, A., Seddig, D., & Schmidt, P. (2018). Explaining measurement nonequivalence using multilevel structural equation modeling: The case of attitudes toward citizenship rights. Sociological Methods & Research, 47, 729-760. doi:10.1177/0049124116672678
Davidov, E., Meuleman, B., Cieciuch, J., Schmidt, P., & Billiet, J. (2014). Measurement equivalence in crossnational research. Annual Review of Sociology, 40, 55-75.
European Social Survey. (2010). ESS round 4 (2008/2009) final activity report. London: Centre for Comparative Social Surveys, City University London.
European Social Survey Round 4 Data. (2008). Data file edition 4.4. NSD -Norwegian Centre for Research Data, Norway -Data Archive and distributor of ESS data for ESS ERIC.
Finkelstein, L. M.,&Farrell, S. K. (2007). An expanded view of age bias in the workplace. In K. S. Shultz & G. A. Adams (Eds.), Applied psychology series. Aging and work in the 21st century (pp. 73-108). Mahwah, NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Finkelstein, L. M., Ryan, K. M., & King, E. B. (2013). What do the young (old) people think of me? Content and accuracy of age-based metastereotypes. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 22(6), 633-657.
Fiske, S. T., Cuddy, A. J. C., Glick, P., & Xu, J. (2002). A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: Competence and warmth respectively follow from perceived status and competition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(6), 878-902.
Fiske, S. T., Xu, J., Cuddy, A. C., & Glick, P. (1999). (dis) respecting versus (dis) liking: Status and interdependence predict ambivalent stereotypes of competence and warmth. Journal of Social Issues, 55(3), 473-489.
Flake, J. K., & McCoach, D. B. (2018). An investigation of the alignment method with polytomous indicators under conditions of partial measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 25(1), 56-70.
Flora, B., & Curran, P. J. (2004). An empirical evaluation of alternative methods of estimation for confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data. Psychological Methods, 9(4), 466-491.
Gee, G. C., Pavalko, E. K., & Long, J. S. (2007). Age, cohort and perceived age discrimination: Using the life course to assess self-reported age discrimination. Social Forces, 86(1), 265-290.
Greene, M. G., Adelman, R., Charon, R., & Hoffman, S. (1986). Ageism in the medical encounter: An exploratory study of the doctor-elderly patient relationship. Language & Communication, 6(1), 113-124.
Harwood, J., Giles, H., Ota, H., Pierson, H. D., Gallois, C., Ng, S. H., & Somera, L. (1996). College students’ trait ratings of three age groups around the Pacific Rim. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 11(4), 307-317.
Heckhausen, J., Dixon, R. A., & Baltes, P. B. (1989). Gains and losses in development throughout adulthood as perceived by different adult age groups. Developmental Psychology, 25(1), 109-121.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3rd). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Holt, S., Marques, J., &Way, D. (2012). Bracing for the millennial workforce: Looking for ways to inspire gen eration Y. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 9(6), 81-93.
Horn, J. L., & McArdle, J. J. (1992). A practical and theoretical guide to measurement invariance in aging research. Experimental Aging Research, 18(3), 117-144.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1-55.
Iversen, T. N., Larsen, L., & Solem, P. E. (2009). A conceptual analysis of ageism. Nordic Psychology, 61(3), 4-22.
Jöreskog, K. G. (1971). Simultaneous factor analysis in several populations. Psychometrika, 36(4), 409-426.
Kessler, R. C., Mickelson, K. D., & Williams, D. R. (1999). The prevalence, distribution, and mental health correlates of perceived discrimination in the United States. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 40(3), 208-230.
Kite, M. E., Deaux, K., & Miele, M. (1991). Stereotypes of young and old: Does age outweigh gender? Psychology and Aging, 6(1), 19-27.
Kite, M. E., & Johnson, B. T. (1988). Attitudes toward older and younger adults: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 3(3), 233-244.
Kite, M. E., Stockdale, G. D., Whitley, B. E., & Johnson, B. T. (2005). Attitudes toward younger and older adults: An updated meta-analytic review. Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), 241-266.
Koyano, W. (1989). Japanese attitudes toward the elderly: A review of research findings. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 4(4), 335-345.
Krings, F., Sczesny, S., & Kluge, A. (2011). Stereotypical inferences as mediators of age discrimination: The role of competence and warmth. British Journal of Management, 22(2), 187-201.
Lek, K., Oberski, D., Davidov, E., Cieciuch, J., Seddig, D., & Schmidt, P. (n.d.). Approximate measurement invariance. In T. Johnson, B. Pennell, I. Stoop, & B. Dorer (Eds.), Advances in comparative survey methods:Multinational, multiregional and multicultural contexts (3MC). in press. New York: Wiley.
Löckenhoff, C. E., De Fruyt, F., Terracciano, A., McCrae, R. R., De Bolle, M., Costa Jr, P. T., & Allik, J. (2009). Perceptions of aging across 26 cultures and their culture-level associates. Psychology and Aging, 24(4), 941-954.
Marsh, H. W., Guo, J., Parker, P. D., Nagengast, B., Asparouhov, T., Muthén, B., & Dicke, T. (2018). What to do when scalar invariance fails: The extended alignment method for multi-group factor analysis comparison of latent means across many groups. Psychological Methods, 23, 524-545. doi:10.1037/met0000113
Marsh, H. W., Hau, K.-T., & Wen, Z. (2004). Search of golden rules: Comment on hypothesis-testing approaches to setting cutoff values for fit indexes and dangers of overgeneralizing Hu and Bentler’s (1999) findings. Structural Equation Modeling, 11(3), 320-341.
McCann, R., & Giles, H. (2002). Ageism in the workplace:A communication perspective, 163-199.
McMullin, J. A., & Marshall, V. W. (2001). Ageism, age relations, and garment industry work in montreal. The Gerontologist, 41(1), 111-122.
Meredith, W. (1993). Measurement invariance, factor analysis and factorial invariance. Psychometrika, 58(4), 525-543.
Munck, I., Barber, C., & Torney-Purta, J. (2018). Measurement invariance in comparing attitudes toward immigrants among youth across europe in 1999 and 2009:The alignment method applied to IEA CIVED and ICCS. Sociological Methods & Research, 47, 687-728. doi:doi:10.1177/0049124117729691
Muthén, B. O., & Asparouhov, T. (2013). BSEM measurement invariance analysis. Retrieved August 14, 2018. Retrieved from http://www.statmodel.com/
Muthén, B. O., & Asparouhov, T. (2014). IRT studies of many groups: The alignment method. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 978.
Muthén, B. O., & Asparouhov, T. (2018). Recent methods for the study of measurement invariance with many groups. Sociological Methods & Research, 47, 637-664. doi:doi:10.1177/0049124117701488
Muthén, B. O., du Toit, S. H. C., & Spisic, D. (1997). Robust inference using weighted least squares and quadratic estimating equations in latent variable modeling with categorical and continuous outcomes. Unpublished manuscript.
Muthén, L., & Muthén, B. O. (2017). Mplus user’s guide (8th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Muthén & Muthén.
Palmore, E. (1999). Ageism: Negative and positive. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Pasupathi, M., & Löckenhoff, C. E. (2002). Ageist behavior. In T. D. Nelson (Ed.), Ageism: Stereotyping and prejudice against older persons (pp. 201-246). Cambridge, MA.
Paxton, P., Curran, P. J., Bollen, K. A., Kirby, J., & Chen, F. (2001). Monte Carlo experiments: Design and implementation. Structural Equation Modeling, 8(2), 287-312.
Posthuma, R. A., & Campion, M. A. (2009). Age stereotypes in the workplace: Common stereotypes, moderators, and future research directions. Journal of Management, 35(1), 158-188.
Raymer, M., Reed, M., Spiegel, M., & Purvanova, R. K. (2017). An examination of generational stereotypes as a path towards reverse ageism. The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 20(3), 148-175.
Reise, S. P., Widaman, K. F., & Pugh, R. H. (1993). Confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory:Two approaches for exploring measurement invariance. Psychological Bulletin, 114(3), 552-566.
Rhemtulla, M., Brosseau-Liard, P. E., & Savalei, V. (2012). When can categorical variables be treated as continuous? A comparison of robust continuous and categorical SEM estimation methods under suboptimal conditions. Psychological Methods, 17(3), 354-373.
Rodham, K., Glover, I., & Branine, M. (2001). Ageism, young academics and the buffalo stance. In I. Glover &M. Branine (Eds.), Ageism in work and employment. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.
Rost, K., & Frankel, R. (1993). The introduction of the older patient’s problems in the medical visit. Journal of Aging and Health, 5(3), 387-401.
Rupp, D. E., Vodanovich, S. J., & Credé, M. (2005). The multidimensional nature of ageism: Construct validity and group differences. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(3), 335-362.
Saris, W. E., Satorra, A., & Sörbom, D. (1987). The detection and correction of specification errors in structural equation models. Sociological Methodology, 17, 105-129.
Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: Our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7(2), 147-177.
Seddig, D., & Leitgöb, H. (2018a). Approximate measurement invariance and longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis: Concept and application with panel data. Survey Research Methods, 12(1), 29-41.
Seddig, D., & Leitgöb, H. (2018b). Exact and bayesian approximate measurement invariance. In E. Davidov, P.
Schmidt, J. Billiet, & B. Meuleman (Eds.), Crosscultural analysis: Methods and applications (2nd, pp. 553-579). New York: Routledge.
Sharps, M. J., Price-Sharps, J. L., & Hanson, J. (1998). Attitudes of young adults toward older adults: Evidence from the United States and Thailand. Educational Gerontology, 24(7), 655-660.
Singer,M. S. (1986). Age stereotypes as a function of profession. The Journal of Social Psychology, 126(5), 691-692.
Snape, E., & Redman, T. (2003). An evaluation of a threecomponent model of occupational commitment: Dimensionality and consequences among United Kingdom human resource management specialists. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(1), 152-159.
Steenkamp, J. E. M., & Baumgartner, H. (1998). Assessing measurement invariance in cross-national consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 25, 78-90.
Thompson, N. (1997). Children, death and ageism. Child & Family Social Work, 2(1), 59-65.
Tien-Hyatt, J. L. (1987). Self-perceptions of aging across cultures: Myth or reality? The International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 24(2), 129-148.
Van de Schoot, R., Kluytmans, A., Tummers, L., Lugtig, P., Hox, J., & Muthén, B. (2013). Facing off with Scylla and Charybdis: A comparison of scalar, partial, and the novel possibility of approximate measurement invariance. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 1-15.
Vandenberg, R. J., & Lance, C. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational research methods, 3(1), 4-70.
Vauclair, C.-M., Abrams, D., & Bratt, C. (2010). Measuring attitudes to age in britain: Reliability and validity of the indicators. London, UK: Department forWork and Pensions.
Walker, A. (1990). The economic “burden” of ageing and the prospect of intergenerational conflict. Ageing and Society, 10(4), 377-396.
Wearing, B. (1995). Leisure and resistance in an ageing society. Leisure Studies, 14.
West, S. G., Taylor, A. B., & Wu, W. (2012). Model fit and model selection in structural equation modeling. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Handbook of structural equation modeling (pp. 209-231). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Westman, J. C. (1991). Juvenile ageism: Unrecognized prejudice and discrimination against the young. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 21(4), 237-256.
World Health Organization. (2015). World report on ageing and health. World Health Organization.
Xiao, L. D., Shen, J., & Paterson, J. (2013). Cross-cultural comparison of attitudes and preferences for care of the elderly among Australian and Chinese nursing students. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 24(4), 408-416.
