Factors that influence the accuracy of adolescent proxy reporting of parental characteristics: A research note

Socioeconomic status (SES) is considered to be an important marker of physical, mental, and social outcomes. However, methods used to gather socioeconomic information vary widely in terms of both the indicators of SES used (e.g., education, occupation, income, etc.) and data collection strategies. In particular, studies of adolescents often rely on childrenʹs proxy reports of measures of parentsʹ SES. There is disagreement in the literature regarding childrenʹs ability to reliably serve as proxy respondents for their parents. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative sample of adolescents and their parents, we assess the accuracy of childrenʹs proxy reports of mothersʹ education and receipt of public assistance. Results show that accuracy of childrenʹs proxy reports varies by childrenʹs age, gender, and race; however, social class largely accounts for race differences found.