Abstract
This article analyzes the effect of interviewers’ physical attractiveness on
cooperation rates in face-to-face interviews and survey responses (self-reports
on physical appearance, weight, and health). This article includes four aspects
of physical attractiveness (facial attractiveness, voice attractiveness, body mass
index [BMI], and height) and reports that (1) interviewers with more attractive
faces and lower BMI have higher cooperation rates, (2) differences in interviewers’
personality (Big Five, Rosenberg self-esteem) account for about one
third of the total effect of facial attractiveness on cooperation rates, and (3)
being interviewed by a more attractive interviewer leads to more positive selfreports on physical appearance, weight, and health (but does not affect selfreports
unrelated to physical appearance).
cooperation rates in face-to-face interviews and survey responses (self-reports
on physical appearance, weight, and health). This article includes four aspects
of physical attractiveness (facial attractiveness, voice attractiveness, body mass
index [BMI], and height) and reports that (1) interviewers with more attractive
faces and lower BMI have higher cooperation rates, (2) differences in interviewers’
personality (Big Five, Rosenberg self-esteem) account for about one
third of the total effect of facial attractiveness on cooperation rates, and (3)
being interviewed by a more attractive interviewer leads to more positive selfreports on physical appearance, weight, and health (but does not affect selfreports
unrelated to physical appearance).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Sociological Methods & Research |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 156-184 |
| ISSN | 0049-1241 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Feb 2019 |
Keywords
- Faculty of Social Sciences
- interviewer effect
- physical attractiveness
- response rate
- survey response
- personality
- social desirability