QUESTION ORDER AND FAIR PLAY - EVIDENCE OF EVEN-HANDEDNESS IN RURAL SURVEYS

The norm of even-handedness is a question-order effect known to occur in face-to-face interviews when respondents favor one of two complemen tary or competing opinion questions, both written at the same level of specificity. After defining and illustrating the concept, evidence of even-handedness in opinion questions is explored in a Montana mail su rvey and in recall of recent behavior in Iowa telephone interviews. Th e Montana survey provides evidence of education effects that are not c onsistent with previous theories of cognitive sophistication, suggesti ng that future research must consider the interaction between substant ive issues and cognitive processes. The Iowa poll provides evidence th at respondents' recall of their recent behaviors and the behaviors of their partner also are subject to context effects. This poll also prov ides evidence that even-handedness operates independently of social de sirablity, especially among women.