Ethnicity-of-Interviewer Effects Among Mexican-Americans and Anglos

A general interpersonal deference explanation for ethnicity-of-interviewer effects is tested with a random survey of Anglos and Mexican-Americans using Anglo and Hispanic interviewers and questions related to Mexican-American culture. The theory was most clearly supported among Anglo respondents. The mixed support found among Mexican-Americans suggests that deference is strongest when questions deal with the culture represented by the interviewer, not the respondent.