Single-item measures cannot establish the consistency or intensity of prejudice.

Evidence

In contrast to these positive models, it is important to remember that the fewer and the more indirect are the questions asked in surveys, focus groups, or interviews, the more difficult it is to measure the consistency, intensity, and nature of Islamophobic sentiments. In particular, any arguments about Islamophobia that rely on a single survey question should be viewed with skepticism. — Erik Bleich, Defining and Researching Islamophobia, 57

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: A compact methodological principle with wide reach: thin instrumentation produces confident-sounding claims about thick psychological constructs.
• QUESTION: How many headline claims about rising or falling Islamophobia rest on one item in one poll?