Applications and Development of Factorial Surveys

Wednesday, 9 July 2025: 09:00-10:45
Location: ASJE028 (Annex of the Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences)
RC33 Logic and Methodology in Sociology (host committee)

Language: English

Factorial surveys have become a common tool in social sciences to uncover the underlying factors influencing individuals' judgments. In a factorial survey, individuals are presented with a set of fictitious units known as vignettes and are asked to rate them. Unlike traditional vignette-based studies, the fictitious combinations in factorial surveys are carefully selected to represent orthogonal combinations of characteristics, which are used to predict the rating tasks. Over the past 50 years, significant advancements have been made in data collection, design, presentation, and analysis techniques, among others, which have increased methodological debates in recent years.
This session attempts to gather methodological studies that contribute to the development of the tool, as well as innovative and substantive applications. We invite submissions about but not limited to the following themes in relation to factorial surveys:
• Visual presentation
• Realism and complexity of vignettes
• Factorial surveys in different survey modes
• Sampling
• Social disability
• Reporting standards
• Predictive validity with respect to human behavior
• Applications in the Global South
• Studying contemporary social issues with factorial surveys

We look forward to receiving submissions that showcase cutting-edge methodological advancements and novel applications of factorial surveys, contributing to the ongoing evolution of this versatile research tool.
Session Organizer:
Francisco OLIVOS, Lingnan University, Hong Kong
Oral Presentations
Uncovering Context Effects in Decision-Making on Renewable Technologies Adoption: Examining the Potential of Discrete Choice Experiments
Hawal SHAMON, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany; Vanessa SCHMIEJA, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany; Stefan VÖGELE, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
The Predictive Validity of Factorial Survey Experiments – a Systematic Review
Jonatan MÖLLER, HSZG, Germany; Knut PETZOLD, Zittau/Goerlitz University of Applied Sciences, Germany