Using Shortened Scales in Sales Research: Risks, Benefits, and Strategies

Increasing the number of items in a scale may increase reliability and reduce measurement error while revealing finer distinctions between respondents and stronger relationships between constructs. However, longer scales take more effort to complete, which may reduce response rates and data quality or limit the number of constructs that can be measured in a survey. To address this conundrum, many researchers have begun to reduce the number of items collected forindividual scales. This paper reviews the trade-offs associated with short-form scales, both pro and con, along with strategies for employing or developing shortened scales. Empirical examples illustrate multiple approaches to the analysis ofsplit surveys, which use multiple forms to include more total items while limiting the burden on respondents in each group.

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