J Billiet
Biographic Data
| ID | 10097 |
|---|---|
| NAME | J Billiet |
| GIVEN NAMES | J |
| FAMILY NAME | Billiet |
| SIGNATURE | BILLIET J |
| AFFILIATIONS | KU Leuven |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6728-2178 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 842 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1973 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 13 |
Why Measurement Invariance is Important in Comparative Research. A Response to Welzel et al. (2021)
Welzel et al. (2021) claim that non-invariance of instruments is inconclusive and inconsequential in the field for cross-cultural value measurement. In this response, we contend that several key arguments on which Welzel et al. (2021) base their critique of invariance testing are conceptually and statistically incorrect. First, Welzel et al. (2021) claim that value measurement follows a formative rather than reflective logic. Yet they do not prov…
The Relationship Between (sub)national Identity, Citizenship Conceptions, and Perceived Ethnic Threat in Flanders and Wallonia for the Period 1995–2020
This article examines the relationship between (sub)national identity and attitudes towards immigrants in the multinational context of Belgium. We extend our previous studies by analysing a longer time period (1995–2020) and by making a strong case for the idea that measurement invariance testing and theoretical meaningfulness are closely intertwined. To examine whether and how the relationship between (sub)national identity and perceived ethnic …
The relationship between ethnic threat and economic insecurity in times of economic crisis
This study analyses the relationship between attitudes toward immigration and deteriorating economic conditions in times of crisis. We examine three questions: First, how are a vulnerable position in the labour market and recent changes to an individual’s economic situation related to perceived ethnic threat? Second, what is the role of the nation’s economic and immigration context? Last, are relationships at the individual level between economic…
Measurement Equivalence in Cross-National Research
Determining whether people in certain countries score differently in measurements of interest or whether concepts relate differently to each other across nations can indisputably assist in testing theories and advancing our sociological knowledge. However, meaningful comparisons of means or relationships between constructs within and across nations require equivalent measurements of these constructs. This is especially true for subjective attribu…
Improving Survey Response
Satisficing Among Reluctant Respondents in a Cross-National Context
Higher response rates are commonly assumed to be associated with higher survey quality. Nevertheless, increasing response rates without attention to response quality may result in an increase of measurement error if it is associated with reluctance to participate in surveys. This article examines the nature of the relationship between reluctance and response quality. The question is studied in a cross-national context using data from the European…
Changing attitudes toward immigration in Europe, 2002–2007
Testing the Stability of an Acquiescence Style Factor Behind Two Interrelated Substantive Variables in a Panel Design
This article addresses the question of to what extent one type of response style, called acquiescence (or agreeing response bias), is stable over time. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to measure the stability of one acquiescence factor behind two concepts among the same respondents for a 4-year period. The data used are representative population surveys in 1995 and 1999 from the Belgian Election Study in which balanced sets of …
Everyday Racism as Predictor of Political Racism in Flemish Belgium
Two aspects of research on racism in Flanders (Belgium) are discussed in this article based on results from large‐scale surveys between 1991 and 2003. The first relates to the (negative) attitudes of the majority toward foreigners (everyday racism) . The second relates to the vote for an extreme right‐wing political party that emphasizes anti‐immigrant viewpoints in its political program and propaganda (political racism) . Our main research quest…
Values and Support for Immigration
In this article, we estimate and compare the effects of two value dimensions taken from the theory of basic human values—namely, self-transcendence and conservation—on attitudes toward immigration in 19 countries. Data from the first wave (2002–03) of the European Social Survey (ESS) is utilized for the analyses. This cross-national survey measures basic human values with a new 21-item instrument. Attitudes toward immigration are operationalized …
Does Belgium (still) exist? Differences in political culture between Flemings and Walloons
The emergence of two separate political systems in Belgium is the logical consequence of a gradual cultural and social divergence between Flanders and Wallonia. It is particularly in Flanders that Belgian nationhood is being put under pressure by a subnational identity. At the same time, there are still widespread emotional ties to Belgium, albeit stronger in Wallonia than in Flanders, that act as an important counterbalance to both the social an…
National Identity and Attitude Toward Foreigners in a Multinational State
An analysis of the 1995 Belgian General Election Survey indicates that the bipolar national identity variable, which contrasts citizens who identify exclusively with the Belgian nation with those who identify exclusively with the Flemish or Walloon subnation, measures not only the direction but also the intensity of national feelings. Respondents who are located at the middle of the scale tend to have a weak identification with both the nation an…
Adjustment for Acquiescence in the Assessment of the Construct Equivalence of Likert-Type Score Items
Survey research often uses Liker-type score items to measure respondents' attitudes with respect to certain topics. This type of item has been shown to be susceptible to an acquiescent response bias. The purpose of this article is to point out the importance of controlling for this type of response bias when evaluating the equivalence of the construct measured by the items across (cultural) groups. More specifically, it is shown how and when omit…
Is It Content or Style? An Evaluation of Two Competitive Measurement Models Applied to a Balanced Set of Ethnocentrism Items
Attitude surveys often use sets of items with identical response scales (e.g., in Likert format) in order to formulate attitude constructs. There is considerable evidence that such a response format can be susceptible to acquiescence bias (i.e., the tendency to agree with survey questions). The specification of a style factor (acquiescence) in measurement models can result in well-fitted factorial invariant models for cross-cultural surveys. Atte…
Modeling Acquiescence in Measurement Models for Two Balanced Sets of Items
This article concerns a number of conditions that must be met before reaching a conclusion about the existence of the agreement component of a response style called acquiescence. The focus is on the specification of a common style factor behind at least 2 independent theoretical concepts, each measured by a balanced set of items. The proposed approach is explored with a random subsample (N = 986) from a large-scale survey, and subsequently confir…
National identity and the attitude towards foreigners in multi-national states
As an example of a multinational state in which various nationalities complete for public support, Belgium is a case in point. The citizens can identify with the official Belgian identity or with sub-national identities in Flanders and in Wallonia. How are these identities of the citizens related to their attitudes toward foreigners? Are citizens who have a strong identification with the national state (Belgium) or with the regions (Flanders or W…
Christian Religion and Ethnic Prejudice in Cross-National Perspective
Almost every student of religion has heard about the research thesis that Christian religious beliefs and behaviors are not barriers against but contributing factors to the development and dispersal of ethnic and racial prejudice. This cross-societal study examines this accusing finger of social research by using data from a 1985 Dutch survey and a 1991 Flemish survey conducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings indicate that in …
Contrasting Effects of Church Involvement on the Dimensions of Ethnocentrism
Contrasting Effects of Church Involvement on the Dimensions of Ethnocentrism: An Empirical Study among Flemish Catholics La relation entre appartenance religieuse et ethnocentrisme est complexe.Une premire exploration des donnes d'une enqute (automne 1989) portant sur les attitudes des Flamands (Belgique) vis--vis des immigrs, ne permet pas d'exclure un effet ngatif de l'appartenance religieuse.Celui-ci est d'autant plus probable que l'on a affai…
Attitudinal dispositions to vote for a 'new' extreme right-wing party
The Vlaams Blok , a 'new' extreme right-wing party, grew substantially during the 1980s in the Flemish part of Belgium. Two alternative hypotheses about the motivation and attitudes of voters for extreme right-wing parties are examined. Is the voters' choice for such a political party inspired by substantive considerations about the programme of the party (the 'rational choice' model), or is right-wing voting mainly an expression of protest? The …
Church Involvement, Ethnocentrism, and Voting for a Radical Right-Wing Party
In the 1991 Belgian general elections, the radical right-wing party, the Vlaams Blok, obtained more than 10 percent of the valid votes cast in Flanders in Belgium. A post-electoral survey found that the attitude towards immigrants was the major predictor of the likelihood of voting for the Vlaams Blok. This was the response to the open “why” question about the reasons for voting. Church involvement had a substantial and significant net effect on …
Church Involvement, Individualism, and Ethnic Prejudice among Flemish Roman Catholics
Jaak B. Billiet, Church Involvement, Individualism, and Ethnic Prejudice among Flemish Roman Catholics: New Evidence of a Moderating Effect, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Jun., 1995), pp. 224-233
Secularization and. Compartmentalization in the Belgian Educational System
L'auteur part du postulat suivant : une positon sociologique au sujet d'un problème ne peut prendre naissance qu'à partir des problèmes tels qu'ils sont formulés par les acteurs sociaux intéressés. La situation-problème doit être analysée par rapport à la position sociale des acteurs qui en sont les porteurs et par rapport à celle occupée par le chercheur qui approche ce problème. La recherche concernant les problèmes relatifs au " pacte scolaire…
Measurement Equivalence in Cross-National Research
Determining whether people in certain countries score differently in measurements of interest or whether concepts relate differently to each other across nations can indisputably assist in testing theories and advancing our sociological knowledge. However, meaningful comparisons of means or relationships between constructs within and across nations require equivalent measurements of these constructs. This is especially true for subjective attribu…
Changing attitudes toward immigration in Europe, 2002–2007
Values and Support for Immigration
In this article, we estimate and compare the effects of two value dimensions taken from the theory of basic human values—namely, self-transcendence and conservation—on attitudes toward immigration in 19 countries. Data from the first wave (2002–03) of the European Social Survey (ESS) is utilized for the analyses. This cross-national survey measures basic human values with a new 21-item instrument. Attitudes toward immigration are operationalized …
Attitudinal dispositions to vote for a 'new' extreme right-wing party
The Vlaams Blok , a 'new' extreme right-wing party, grew substantially during the 1980s in the Flemish part of Belgium. Two alternative hypotheses about the motivation and attitudes of voters for extreme right-wing parties are examined. Is the voters' choice for such a political party inspired by substantive considerations about the programme of the party (the 'rational choice' model), or is right-wing voting mainly an expression of protest? The …
The relationship between ethnic threat and economic insecurity in times of economic crisis
This study analyses the relationship between attitudes toward immigration and deteriorating economic conditions in times of crisis. We examine three questions: First, how are a vulnerable position in the labour market and recent changes to an individual’s economic situation related to perceived ethnic threat? Second, what is the role of the nation’s economic and immigration context? Last, are relationships at the individual level between economic…
National Identity and Attitude Toward Foreigners in a Multinational State
An analysis of the 1995 Belgian General Election Survey indicates that the bipolar national identity variable, which contrasts citizens who identify exclusively with the Belgian nation with those who identify exclusively with the Flemish or Walloon subnation, measures not only the direction but also the intensity of national feelings. Respondents who are located at the middle of the scale tend to have a weak identification with both the nation an…
Does Belgium (still) exist? Differences in political culture between Flemings and Walloons
The emergence of two separate political systems in Belgium is the logical consequence of a gradual cultural and social divergence between Flanders and Wallonia. It is particularly in Flanders that Belgian nationhood is being put under pressure by a subnational identity. At the same time, there are still widespread emotional ties to Belgium, albeit stronger in Wallonia than in Flanders, that act as an important counterbalance to both the social an…
National identity and the attitude towards foreigners in multi-national states
As an example of a multinational state in which various nationalities complete for public support, Belgium is a case in point. The citizens can identify with the official Belgian identity or with sub-national identities in Flanders and in Wallonia. How are these identities of the citizens related to their attitudes toward foreigners? Are citizens who have a strong identification with the national state (Belgium) or with the regions (Flanders or W…
Satisficing Among Reluctant Respondents in a Cross-National Context
Higher response rates are commonly assumed to be associated with higher survey quality. Nevertheless, increasing response rates without attention to response quality may result in an increase of measurement error if it is associated with reluctance to participate in surveys. This article examines the nature of the relationship between reluctance and response quality. The question is studied in a cross-national context using data from the European…
Adjustment for Acquiescence in the Assessment of the Construct Equivalence of Likert-Type Score Items
Survey research often uses Liker-type score items to measure respondents' attitudes with respect to certain topics. This type of item has been shown to be susceptible to an acquiescent response bias. The purpose of this article is to point out the importance of controlling for this type of response bias when evaluating the equivalence of the construct measured by the items across (cultural) groups. More specifically, it is shown how and when omit…
Everyday Racism as Predictor of Political Racism in Flemish Belgium
Two aspects of research on racism in Flanders (Belgium) are discussed in this article based on results from large‐scale surveys between 1991 and 2003. The first relates to the (negative) attitudes of the majority toward foreigners (everyday racism) . The second relates to the vote for an extreme right‐wing political party that emphasizes anti‐immigrant viewpoints in its political program and propaganda (political racism) . Our main research quest…
Church Involvement, Ethnocentrism, and Voting for a Radical Right-Wing Party
In the 1991 Belgian general elections, the radical right-wing party, the Vlaams Blok, obtained more than 10 percent of the valid votes cast in Flanders in Belgium. A post-electoral survey found that the attitude towards immigrants was the major predictor of the likelihood of voting for the Vlaams Blok. This was the response to the open “why” question about the reasons for voting. Church involvement had a substantial and significant net effect on …
Testing the Stability of an Acquiescence Style Factor Behind Two Interrelated Substantive Variables in a Panel Design
This article addresses the question of to what extent one type of response style, called acquiescence (or agreeing response bias), is stable over time. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to measure the stability of one acquiescence factor behind two concepts among the same respondents for a 4-year period. The data used are representative population surveys in 1995 and 1999 from the Belgian Election Study in which balanced sets of …
Christian Religion and Ethnic Prejudice in Cross-National Perspective
Almost every student of religion has heard about the research thesis that Christian religious beliefs and behaviors are not barriers against but contributing factors to the development and dispersal of ethnic and racial prejudice. This cross-societal study examines this accusing finger of social research by using data from a 1985 Dutch survey and a 1991 Flemish survey conducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings indicate that in …
Church Involvement, Individualism, and Ethnic Prejudice among Flemish Roman Catholics
Jaak B. Billiet, Church Involvement, Individualism, and Ethnic Prejudice among Flemish Roman Catholics: New Evidence of a Moderating Effect, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Jun., 1995), pp. 224-233
The Relationship Between (sub)national Identity, Citizenship Conceptions, and Perceived Ethnic Threat in Flanders and Wallonia for the Period 1995–2020
This article examines the relationship between (sub)national identity and attitudes towards immigrants in the multinational context of Belgium. We extend our previous studies by analysing a longer time period (1995–2020) and by making a strong case for the idea that measurement invariance testing and theoretical meaningfulness are closely intertwined. To examine whether and how the relationship between (sub)national identity and perceived ethnic …
Is It Content or Style? An Evaluation of Two Competitive Measurement Models Applied to a Balanced Set of Ethnocentrism Items
Attitude surveys often use sets of items with identical response scales (e.g., in Likert format) in order to formulate attitude constructs. There is considerable evidence that such a response format can be susceptible to acquiescence bias (i.e., the tendency to agree with survey questions). The specification of a style factor (acquiescence) in measurement models can result in well-fitted factorial invariant models for cross-cultural surveys. Atte…
Secularization and. Compartmentalization in the Belgian Educational System
L'auteur part du postulat suivant : une positon sociologique au sujet d'un problème ne peut prendre naissance qu'à partir des problèmes tels qu'ils sont formulés par les acteurs sociaux intéressés. La situation-problème doit être analysée par rapport à la position sociale des acteurs qui en sont les porteurs et par rapport à celle occupée par le chercheur qui approche ce problème. La recherche concernant les problèmes relatifs au " pacte scolaire…
Contrasting Effects of Church Involvement on the Dimensions of Ethnocentrism
Contrasting Effects of Church Involvement on the Dimensions of Ethnocentrism: An Empirical Study among Flemish Catholics La relation entre appartenance religieuse et ethnocentrisme est complexe.Une premire exploration des donnes d'une enqute (automne 1989) portant sur les attitudes des Flamands (Belgique) vis--vis des immigrs, ne permet pas d'exclure un effet ngatif de l'appartenance religieuse.Celui-ci est d'autant plus probable que l'on a affai…
Attitudinal dispositions to vote for a 'new' extreme right-wing party
The Vlaams Blok , a 'new' extreme right-wing party, grew substantially during the 1980s in the Flemish part of Belgium. Two alternative hypotheses about the motivation and attitudes of voters for extreme right-wing parties are examined. Is the voters' choice for such a political party inspired by substantive considerations about the programme of the party (the 'rational choice' model), or is right-wing voting mainly an expression of protest? The …
Church Involvement, Ethnocentrism, and Voting for a Radical Right-Wing Party
In the 1991 Belgian general elections, the radical right-wing party, the Vlaams Blok, obtained more than 10 percent of the valid votes cast in Flanders in Belgium. A post-electoral survey found that the attitude towards immigrants was the major predictor of the likelihood of voting for the Vlaams Blok. This was the response to the open “why” question about the reasons for voting. Church involvement had a substantial and significant net effect on …
Church Involvement, Individualism, and Ethnic Prejudice among Flemish Roman Catholics
Jaak B. Billiet, Church Involvement, Individualism, and Ethnic Prejudice among Flemish Roman Catholics: New Evidence of a Moderating Effect, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Jun., 1995), pp. 224-233
Christian Religion and Ethnic Prejudice in Cross-National Perspective
Almost every student of religion has heard about the research thesis that Christian religious beliefs and behaviors are not barriers against but contributing factors to the development and dispersal of ethnic and racial prejudice. This cross-societal study examines this accusing finger of social research by using data from a 1985 Dutch survey and a 1991 Flemish survey conducted in the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. The findings indicate that in …
Modeling Acquiescence in Measurement Models for Two Balanced Sets of Items
This article concerns a number of conditions that must be met before reaching a conclusion about the existence of the agreement component of a response style called acquiescence. The focus is on the specification of a common style factor behind at least 2 independent theoretical concepts, each measured by a balanced set of items. The proposed approach is explored with a random subsample (N = 986) from a large-scale survey, and subsequently confir…
National identity and the attitude towards foreigners in multi-national states
As an example of a multinational state in which various nationalities complete for public support, Belgium is a case in point. The citizens can identify with the official Belgian identity or with sub-national identities in Flanders and in Wallonia. How are these identities of the citizens related to their attitudes toward foreigners? Are citizens who have a strong identification with the national state (Belgium) or with the regions (Flanders or W…
Is It Content or Style? An Evaluation of Two Competitive Measurement Models Applied to a Balanced Set of Ethnocentrism Items
Attitude surveys often use sets of items with identical response scales (e.g., in Likert format) in order to formulate attitude constructs. There is considerable evidence that such a response format can be susceptible to acquiescence bias (i.e., the tendency to agree with survey questions). The specification of a style factor (acquiescence) in measurement models can result in well-fitted factorial invariant models for cross-cultural surveys. Atte…
National Identity and Attitude Toward Foreigners in a Multinational State
An analysis of the 1995 Belgian General Election Survey indicates that the bipolar national identity variable, which contrasts citizens who identify exclusively with the Belgian nation with those who identify exclusively with the Flemish or Walloon subnation, measures not only the direction but also the intensity of national feelings. Respondents who are located at the middle of the scale tend to have a weak identification with both the nation an…
Adjustment for Acquiescence in the Assessment of the Construct Equivalence of Likert-Type Score Items
Survey research often uses Liker-type score items to measure respondents' attitudes with respect to certain topics. This type of item has been shown to be susceptible to an acquiescent response bias. The purpose of this article is to point out the importance of controlling for this type of response bias when evaluating the equivalence of the construct measured by the items across (cultural) groups. More specifically, it is shown how and when omit…
Does Belgium (still) exist? Differences in political culture between Flemings and Walloons
The emergence of two separate political systems in Belgium is the logical consequence of a gradual cultural and social divergence between Flanders and Wallonia. It is particularly in Flanders that Belgian nationhood is being put under pressure by a subnational identity. At the same time, there are still widespread emotional ties to Belgium, albeit stronger in Wallonia than in Flanders, that act as an important counterbalance to both the social an…
Testing the Stability of an Acquiescence Style Factor Behind Two Interrelated Substantive Variables in a Panel Design
This article addresses the question of to what extent one type of response style, called acquiescence (or agreeing response bias), is stable over time. A structural equation modeling approach is applied to measure the stability of one acquiescence factor behind two concepts among the same respondents for a 4-year period. The data used are representative population surveys in 1995 and 1999 from the Belgian Election Study in which balanced sets of …
Everyday Racism as Predictor of Political Racism in Flemish Belgium
Two aspects of research on racism in Flanders (Belgium) are discussed in this article based on results from large‐scale surveys between 1991 and 2003. The first relates to the (negative) attitudes of the majority toward foreigners (everyday racism) . The second relates to the vote for an extreme right‐wing political party that emphasizes anti‐immigrant viewpoints in its political program and propaganda (political racism) . Our main research quest…
Values and Support for Immigration
In this article, we estimate and compare the effects of two value dimensions taken from the theory of basic human values—namely, self-transcendence and conservation—on attitudes toward immigration in 19 countries. Data from the first wave (2002–03) of the European Social Survey (ESS) is utilized for the analyses. This cross-national survey measures basic human values with a new 21-item instrument. Attitudes toward immigration are operationalized …
Changing attitudes toward immigration in Europe, 2002–2007
Improving Survey Response
Satisficing Among Reluctant Respondents in a Cross-National Context
Higher response rates are commonly assumed to be associated with higher survey quality. Nevertheless, increasing response rates without attention to response quality may result in an increase of measurement error if it is associated with reluctance to participate in surveys. This article examines the nature of the relationship between reluctance and response quality. The question is studied in a cross-national context using data from the European…
The relationship between ethnic threat and economic insecurity in times of economic crisis
This study analyses the relationship between attitudes toward immigration and deteriorating economic conditions in times of crisis. We examine three questions: First, how are a vulnerable position in the labour market and recent changes to an individual’s economic situation related to perceived ethnic threat? Second, what is the role of the nation’s economic and immigration context? Last, are relationships at the individual level between economic…
Measurement Equivalence in Cross-National Research
Determining whether people in certain countries score differently in measurements of interest or whether concepts relate differently to each other across nations can indisputably assist in testing theories and advancing our sociological knowledge. However, meaningful comparisons of means or relationships between constructs within and across nations require equivalent measurements of these constructs. This is especially true for subjective attribu…
The Relationship Between (sub)national Identity, Citizenship Conceptions, and Perceived Ethnic Threat in Flanders and Wallonia for the Period 1995–2020
This article examines the relationship between (sub)national identity and attitudes towards immigrants in the multinational context of Belgium. We extend our previous studies by analysing a longer time period (1995–2020) and by making a strong case for the idea that measurement invariance testing and theoretical meaningfulness are closely intertwined. To examine whether and how the relationship between (sub)national identity and perceived ethnic …
Why Measurement Invariance is Important in Comparative Research. A Response to Welzel et al. (2021)
Welzel et al. (2021) claim that non-invariance of instruments is inconclusive and inconsequential in the field for cross-cultural value measurement. In this response, we contend that several key arguments on which Welzel et al. (2021) base their critique of invariance testing are conceptually and statistically incorrect. First, Welzel et al. (2021) claim that value measurement follows a formative rather than reflective logic. Yet they do not prov…
Political science (17 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Social Psychology (13 works) · Sociology (12 works) · Law (11 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Geography (9 works) · Mathematics (9 works) · Social and Intergroup Psychology (9 works) · Politics (8 works)