Gun-shy: Refusal to answer questions about firearm ownership. Issue 2 (1st June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Urbatsch, R.
• Is Part Of: Social science journal. Volume 56:Issue 2(2019)
• Page Start: 189
• Page End: 195
• Publication Date: 2019-06-01
• Subjects: Guns -- Non-response -- Partisanship -- United States; Social sciences -- Periodicals; 300.5
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soscij.2018.04.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0362-3319

Abstract

Abstract: In recent years, surveys in the United States have faced increasing refusal to answer questions about firearm ownership, even as other similar questions see no comparable up-tick in item nonresponse. Asymmetrical polarization, elite messaging, and changing media institutions all suggest that the surging nonresponse concerning gun-ownership questions may be increasingly concentrated among those with rightward political and partisan leanings, potentially skewing inferences about gun-related issues. Data from the General Social Survey confirms that the increase in probability of declining to answer firearm-ownership questions is particularly stark among those identifying as Republicans, particularly those with a conservative outlook skeptical of government.