The 'left' and the 'right' are two terms that often appear and tend to be used in everyday conversation, the media, and scientific discourse. In most theories on political orientation the terms left and right are used as theoretical concepts that facilitate the description and classification of social reality. This usage of the concepts is justified and can be very useful. However, at the empirical level they are often used with the aim of detecting and examining them in connection with what people think. In this article the author describes a series of analyses that indicate that when the left-right concept of political orientation is tested and assessed such usage proves misguided. The author employs 'immediate validation' in the article's analysis, an original method still under development that is part of the broader stream of cognitive approaches applied in survey methodology.
This article explores the potential of using a simple self-rating question to measure respondents' perceived level of workplace stress in standard cross-sectional surveys. This aim is based on practical experience: while there is a range of theoretical-empirical approaches to measuring workplace stress, the design and size of the research instruments derived from them often exceed the limits for being included in a typical cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The potential of using a simple self-rating scale is evaluated in terms of the scale's statistical relationships with (a) subjective quality of working life measured with a standard work satisfaction question, (b) Subjective Quality of Working Life Index, and (c) a discrepancy index. The research results reveal some problems concerning context, validity and reliability in using simple self-rating scales for measuring complex phenomena such as workplace stress. Notwithstanding these limits, this study shows that a short subjective stress measure does yield satisfactory results and offers an interpretative potential., Jiří Vinopal., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
This article explores the potential of using a simple self-rating question to measure respondents’ perceived level of workplace stress in standard cross-sectional surveys. This aim is based on practical experience: while there is a range of theoretical-empirical approaches to measuring workplace stress, the design and size of the research instruments derived from them often exceed the limits for being included in a typical cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The potential of using a simple self-rating scale is evaluated in terms of the scale‘s statistical relationships with (a) subjective quality of working life measured with a standard work satisfaction question, (b) Subjective Quality of Working Life Index, and (c) a discrepancy index. The research results reveal some problems concerning context, validity and reliability in using simple self-rating scales for measuring complex phenomena such as workplace stress. Notwithstanding these limits, this study shows that a short subjective stress measure does yield satisfactory results and offers an interpretative potential.