Abstract
The study presented here deals with two aspects of the validity of a factorial survey approach (Rossi & Anderson, 1982). This technique is applied to the analysis of crime in everyday life from the perspective of a rational choice approach (Cornish & Clarke, 1986). The situation of “lost letters” (Milgram, Mann, & Harter, 1965) is regarded as an opportunity to display criminal behaviors within the routine activities of everyday life. The study features this situation and focuses on situational influences upon keeping “lost” letters. According to the theoretical framework, the effort and the utility of keeping a “lost” letter are manipulated on the basis of a 2 × 3 design. The study aims at a systematic analysis of the empirical validity and the construct validity of the factorial survey approach. It compares data from a factorial survey (n = 881) with data from a field experiment (n = 395) using an equal study design. The results of the study reveal restrictions of the empirical validity of the factorial survey. Influences of the utility of a “lost” letter are equal across the factorial survey and the field experiment and support the idea of construct validity. In addition to these influences, differences between data collection methods occur which indicate a susceptibility to social desirable responses in a lost letter framework. This result is discussed with regard to the underlying research questions and methodological implications.
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