Explaining the “Accuracy ” of Proxy-Reports on Attitudes towards Immigrants in Germany. Two Approaches Compared

The paper analyzes the degree to which subjects are able to “accurately” report the attitudes of their reference group or close discussion partners. Studies using a social network approach have found evidence for a strong association between the respondents ’ own attitude reports and their reports on the perceived attitudes of relevant others. Since most research has not tested whether this perception of ego is congruent with the actual attitudes of the alters, it remains unclear to what degree the observed correlations are substantiated in social influence processes or simply result from egos’ projection of their own attitudes on their alters. However, descriptive statistics have confirmed that proxy-reports and self-reports with regard to attitudes reveal a relatively low degree of congruence. In this study, the influence of ego’s access to information on the “quality ” of the proxy-reports concerning attitudes towards immigrants in Germany is analyzed in the context of a broader understanding of th