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The Nature of the Forbid/Allow Asymmetry

Two Correlational Studies

Free University Amsterdam

As the verbs forbid and allow are considered each other's counterparts, one would expect the answers to questions worded with forbid or allow to be each other's opposites. Research shows that this is not the case. Use of these verbs in surveys causes a wording effect known as the forbid/allow asymmetry. Findings do not reveal, however, where the asymmetry originates: during the stage of attitude localization or during the mapping of the attitude onto one of the response options. In this article, a correlational design was used. Two experiments were carried out focusing on the congenericity of forbid and allow, one on attitudes toward environmental issues and a replication on attitudes concerning ethnic groups. Results of both experiments show that forbid and allow questions are congeneric; that is, they measure the same attitude. Answers to forbid/allow questions reflect similar attitudes that are expressed differently on the answering scales due to the use of both verbs. In addition, the explanation of the effect focusing on the answering behavior of indifferent respondents is discussed and explored.

Sociological Methods & Research, Vol. 28, No. 2, 209-244 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/0049124199028002004


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