Subtle differences in a male interviewer's dress appearance and compliance to a survey request: the influence of a tie and bow tie in a field setting

摘要

It has previously been reported that an interviewer's dress style influences compliance with a face-to-face survey request. However, dress style has been examined in global terms, with the interviewer wearing conventional clothes versus smart clothes. In this study, we tested the effect of the presence or absence of a single cue of dress style. A male interviewer wearing a bow tie or a tie, or no tie, asked passers-by in the street to participate in a very short survey related to international current events. It was found that both male and female participants were more willing to participate when the interviewer wore a tie or a bow tie; additionally, the bow tie exerted more effect on compliance than on the tie. The practical interest of these findings for attracting survey responses and the importance of dress style in social relationships are discussed.