A note on scaling the general social survey network item response categories

The idea of structural balance is used to suggest quantitative intervals between relationship strength response categories in the GSS network data. In contrast to an assumption of equal intervals between the categories of relationship strength, the intervals appear quite unequal. Relations with discussion partners “less close” to their respondent than other cited discussion partners are about 0.17 the strength of relations with “especially close” discussion partners. The middle category of relations between discussion partners appear to be little more than acquaintance relations; about 0.2 of the distance from people who are “total strangers” to people who are “especially close”.