Surveys, commonly used to assess public opinions and attitudes, are often presumed to capture the authentic values of the measured concepts. Nevertheless, a substantial body of research challenges this assumption by highlighting the impact of question characteristics on respondents. The influence of question framing on survey responses is a well-established phenomenon, as evidenced by research demonstrating that the decision to phrase questions positively or negatively shapes the answers.
This study tests these assumptions and contributes to the existing body of knowledge by examining how framing the statements in positive or negative terms in the Slovak language may impact survey outcomes.
As part of a larger survey (N = 1325), we conducted a split-ballot experiment involving two statements on religion framed both positively and negatively. Respondents provided feedback on a five-point scale, ranging from 'definitely agree' to 'definitely disagree.'
In the first scenario, the sole distinction in the statement lay in the inclusion of the word 'not.' Respondents were asked to agree or disagree with the statement 'All religious groups existing in Slovakia should have equal rights' in the positive variant and 'Not all religious groups existing in Slovakia should have equal rights' in the negative variant.
In the second case, respondents expressed their agreement or disagreement with the statement 'We need to respect all religions' in the positive version and 'Some religions we do not need to respect' in the negative version.
The results reveal differences between framings in both instances. In the negative versions, positive answers (definitely agree + rather agree) prevail in both cases. Moreover, positive answers in negative variants are chosen more frequently than negative answers in the positive variants. Additionally, the middle option ('do not agree nor disagree') is selected less often in negatively framed statements.