Hello Beautiful? The Effect of Interviewer Physical Attractiveness on Cooperation Rates and Survey Responses

Mads Meier Jæger

Sociological Methods & Research, 2019, vol. 48, issue 1, 156-184

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 self-reports on physical appearance, weight, and health (but does not affect self-reports unrelated to physical appearance).

Keywords: interviewer effect; physical attractiveness; response rate; survey response; personality; social desirability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:somere:v:48:y:2019:i:1:p:156-184

DOI: 10.1177/0049124116672677

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