Response styles in multicultural surveys

(English) This diploma thesis examines the influence of cultural contexts on response styles in international surveys. The research aim is to determine who and why tends to answer questionnaire items using acquiescent, extreme, or midpoint response styles, independently of the item content. The theoretical framework connects the concept of sampling error, the research tradition on response styles, and Hofstede's model of six cultural dimensions. The empirical part is based on an online survey (CAWI method) conducted in August 2025 on a sample of 18,901 users of a sports results application from thirty-two countries. The research design consists of two batteries employing different scales in order to maximize the isolation of instrument-related effects from culturally conditioned systematic response bias. The analysis included individual-level regression and partial correlation analysis at the level of aggregated data. Out of nine hypotheses, two were confirmed: the long-term orientation of national cultures is negatively associated with extreme response style and positively associated with midpoint response style. The other assumed relationships were not confirmed, which may reflect specific characteristics of the target population or an inadequate theoretical and methodological approach to the...