Analiza zgodności między wypowiedziami o faktach uzyskanymi w wywiadzie kwestionariuszowym a dokumentami

Abstract

The article describes a study of conformity of respondents’ answers about facts with the documentary records of these facts. Respondents were 70 amnestied ex-convicts and the records were various official documents. The analysis of conformity related to the following facts: 1° age of respondents, 2° obtention of a job as a post-penitentiary help, 3° obtention of an advance pay as a form of post-penitentiary help, 4° the number of stays in correctional institutions, 5° treatment in anty-alcoholic dispensary, 6° the legal basis of release from the correctional institution, 7° the date and place of that release, 8° forms of the criminal action (individual or in a group). The conclusion of the study is that the truthfulness of the respondents’ answers depends on factors connected with personal features of respondents (demographic traits and psychic attitudes) as well as on objective factors, i.e. the contents of the question asked. Particular factors are considered and their importance is analysed. The results obtained show that trustworthiness of answers does not depend on the age and sex of respondents; respondents having stable job are more veracious. Dependence of veracity on the degree of abuse of alcohol has been revealed: the higher the degree of abusive use of alcohol, the less veracious were respondents. In the answers to touchy questions there has appeared a tendency to conceal embarrassing facts; the conclusion being that such questions should not be used in questionnaire interviews.