Interviews, Elite

Elite interviews are a significant source of data in political science and sociology. The concept of the elite and, consequently, its empirical identification, however, lacks a clear consensus. Elites are typically thought to have more resources and influence than mass publics in whatever sphere they happen to be located. Sociologists sometimes define elites as a set of people with special credentials in society such as Nobel Prize winners. Political scientists are especially likely to define elites in the context of political power and often as formal holders of institutional authority—typically public officeholders. Political sociologists may be more inclined to look for the powerful, whether or not they are holders of formal authority. Of course, the definition of who is powerful is highly contentious and, therefore, far from self-evident. In this entry, some specific features of interviewing elites are discussed.

There are many ways of procuring infor mation from those plausibly described as elites. Back ground data are often available through documentation but are not always comparable across individuals. Sometimes written surveys are sent to elite populations. The rate of return on these may be spotty and, by definition, nonrandom. Thus, the response rate often leads to unrepresentative samples. It is also unclear who fills out the requested information when the respondent has staff personnel to deal with such matters. Consequently, elite interviews are taken here to mean some form of direct contact between an investigator (or a member of an investigator's staff) and targeted individuals drawn from an elite population.