Utilitarian Individualism and Panel Nonresponse

In models of survey participation, utilitarian individualism can be considered as a relevant social psychological characteristic. Data from a panel survey are used to evaluate the effect of utilitarian individualism on the nonresponse of the second wave of a panel. The results show that after controlling for gender, education, political interest, and two indicators of respondent's behavior, people characterized by a high degree of utilitarian individualism are less willing to participate in the interview of the second wave of a panel. The consequences of this selective nonresponse for the measurement of utilitarian individualism are discussed.