Equivalence is a necessary prerequisite of any substantive analysis of cross-cultural survey data. Cognitive interviewing is a suitable method when it comes to identifying non-equivalence in survey data and, particularly, its causes. Usual face-to-face cognitive interviews have their shortcomings, though, e.g. their use only as a pretesting device, limited sample sizes, great time and cost investment, or interviewer effects due to different interviewer behavior. In cross-national research, these problems are exacerbated and, thus, it does not come as a surprise that the use of cognitive interviewing in the comparative context brings with it particular challenges. We now propose to test web surveys as a means to conduct cross-cultural cognitive interviewing. Web surveys permit to counter the above mentioned shortcomings: they allow e.g. the cost-effective increase in sample size and therefore quantification of results, they allow for standardization of probing and also for complete anonymity of responses – among others. In this paper, we report results from an international web survey conducted in Canada, Denmark, Eastern and Western Germany, Hungary, Spain, and the US in January 2011. A net sample of 480 respondents in each country/region was targeted. Online access panels were commissioned to provide the respondents according to pre-set quotas. The survey on politics and family included eight probing questions for each respondent, among which category selection probing and comprehension probing. We report on respondents’ willingness to provide answers as well as on results of equivalence and non-equivalence across countries.