Universität zu Köln

Schmidt-Catran, Alexander W. and Fairbrother, Malcolm (2016). The Random Effects in Multilevel Models: Getting Them Wrong and Getting Them Right. Eur. Sociol. Rev., 32 (1). S. 23 - 39. OXFORD: OXFORD UNIV PRESS. ISSN 1468-2672

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Abstract

Many surveys of respondents from multiple countries or subnational regions have now been fielded on multiple occasions. Social scientists are regularly using multilevel models to analyse the data generated by such surveys, investigating variation across both space and time. We show, however, that such models are usually specified erroneously. They typically omit one or more relevant random effects, thereby ignoring important clustering in the data, which leads to downward biases in the standard errors. These biases occur even if the fixed effects are specified correctly; if the fixed effects are incorrect, erroneous specification of the random effects worsens biases in the coefficients. We illustrate these problems using Monte Carlo simulations and two empirical examples. Our recommendation to researchers fitting multilevel models to comparative longitudinal survey data is to include random effects at all potentially relevant levels, thereby avoiding any mismatch between the random and fixed parts of their models.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Schmidt-Catran, Alexander W. UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Fairbrother, Malcolm UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-284933
DOI:	10.1093/esr/jcv090
Journal or Publication Title:	Eur. Sociol. Rev.
Volume:	32
Number:	1
Page Range:	S. 23 - 39
Date:	2016
Publisher:	OXFORD UNIV PRESS
Place of Publication:	OXFORD
ISSN:	1468-2672
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language GROUP-SIZE; EUROPE; SUPPORT; IMMIGRATION; ATTENDANCE; GERMANY Multiple languages Sociology Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/28493