When Experts Disagree: Comments on the Articles by Jacoby and Szybillo and Stewart

The author discusses the more general lessons that can be learned from Jacoby and Szybillo's (1995) and Stewart's (1995) articles on the Federal Trade Commission v. Kraft, Inc. (1991) case. The lessons relate to issues of materiality, definitions of the universe, context effects, and questionnaire wording. Because of the complexity of questionnaire design, it is not surprising that experts will disagree, and such disagreements need not lead to reductions in public confidence about consumer surveys.