Being friendly in survey interviews

Abstract

This paper discusses the devices through which survey interviewers construct a 'personal interview style'. The first part describes several types of interviewers' friendly reactions to respondents' assessable statements. The second part shows how interviewers may reformulate 'neutrally' scripted questions in such a way that they include a preference for a 'socially desirable' answer. In survey methodological terms, the interviewers transform neutral questions into leading questions. These are two turn sequential levels on which interviewers may be seen as 'doing being personal'.