Paralysis by Inertia “Like” Habit in Social Networking Services: Tendency to Answer Loyalty Questions in Marketing Surveys

Abstract

Factors affecting survey quality, such as questionnaire length, screen design, incentives for respondents, and answering devices have been extensively researched before. This study introduces a new dimension to the factors of response bias’ factors and focuses on the possibility that Like habits and motives in social networking services (SNS) may lower the psychological barrier to favorable reactions for brand loyalty (e.g., recommendation intention). Propensity score was applied to the results of Japanese smartphone users’ online survey, and the effect of Like habits on response tendencies was verified. Results show that compared to the group that did not use SNS, there were no differences with those who used true Likes, and a group of inertia Like has a high score—becoming clear that the psychological barriers differ depending on Like motive. If the SNS usage status of survey respondents fluctuates, the results may be biased and mistakes could occur in decision-making.