Desirability Bias Research Articles

Investigating the Relationship Between Expressing Gratitude and Social Desirability Bias

This research aims to investigates the relationship between expressing gratitude and social desirability bias. Social desirability bias refers to the tendency of individuals to react in a manner that is viewed favorably by others, rather than providing authentic responses. The study will explore whether individuals who frequently express gratitude are more likely to exhibit social desirability bias in their behavior and responses. The research will involve surveying participants to assess their levels of gratitude expression and social desirability bias, and analyzing the data to determine if a significant relationship exists between the two variables. The outcomes of this study will contribute to our understanding of how expressing gratitude may influence social behavior and perceptions.

Ethical leadership in the Netherlands: testing the broader conceptualization and measurement scale

PurposeThis paper aims to validate a broader conceptualization of ethical leadership and a matching measurement scale (BELS) using survey data from 909 public servants in leadership positions in the Netherlands.Design/methodology/approachThe confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (using AMOS) and exploratory factor analysis were carried out with repeated CFA. A social desirability scale was used to check for model fitness.FindingsOur findings support the notion that ethical leadership is broader in conceptualization and hence reject the theories that limit the role of ethical leaders within the confines of organizations. This study confirms that attributes like sustainability, leadership learning, ethical competency, diversity and resilience are part of ethical leadership. Such characteristics could not be measured with previous scales for ethical leadership. Also, ethical leadership is not separate from associated leadership styles.Research limitations/implicationsA self-assessment scale for leaders was used for this study. Although there is no indication of social desirability bias, future research can also focus on follower assessments of their leaders. This study only focuses on the public sector context only.Practical implicationsOur results suggest that ethical leadership contains more subvalues than in the seminal definition. This study has, therefore, corroborated a broader definition of ethical leadership.Originality/valueThis study indicates the need for ethical leadership to be studied and assessed using a broader conceptualization and measurement scale.

Redefining on-farm practices: The perceived effect of a responsible antimicrobial use regulation on dairy farmers

The global food animal industry faces a growing concern regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR), primarily driven by the use of antimicrobials (AM) for the treatment, control, and prevention of diseases. Addressing this challenge requires promoting responsible antimicrobial use (AMU) practices. In 2019, the province of Québec, Canada, took a significant step by implementing a regulation that limits the use of AM of very high importance for human medicine (category I AM as defined by Health Canada) in the food animal industry. However, the implementation of such regulation can significantly influence behavioral shifts among producers, contributing to the wider effort against AMR. Therefore, the objective of this observational study was to describe the perceived changes in dairy producers' knowledge and on-farm practices following the implementation of this regulation, using a cohort design. Data collection involved administering questionnaires to 87 dairy producers from 3 regions of the province of Québec (Estrie, Montérégie, Centre-Du-Québec) before (2017-2018) and after (2020-2021) the implementation of the regulation. The questionnaires explored the descriptive characteristics of farms, the knowledge of producers about the categorization of AM, the on-farm treatment practices, and the perceived effects of the regulation. Statistical analysis included t-tests and McNemar tests to compare the paired data obtained using the 2 questionnaires. The results indicated an increase in the knowledge score (the number of AM correctly categorized by the producers by their importance for human medicine) after the implementation of the regulation, suggesting an improved understanding of the categorization of AM based on their importance for human medicine. Trends in AMU practices for treating clinical mastitis and reproductive diseases suggested that category I AM were less likely to be reported as the primary treatment after the regulation, whereas category II AM were more often reported as primary treatment. Adoption of the selective dry cow therapy method significantly increased, whereas the use of teat sealants remained unchanged. Moreover, producers had divergent perceptions regarding the effect of the regulation on the cure rates and disease frequencies. This disparity emphasizes the need for comprehensive data collection to discern the risks associated with such regulatory shifts. The study acknowledges several limitations, including the potential for recall bias, confirmation bias, and desirability bias. Despite these limitations, this study shows that implementing regulations to encourage responsible AMU drives positive transformations in producers' knowledge and on-farm practices. This underscores the pivotal effect of proactive interventions in combating the escalating threat of AMR within the global food animal industry.

Exploring the Link between Smartphone Use, Recorded Violence, and Social Sharing in 80 Case Studies in Italy

The increasing prevalence of violence recorded and shared through smartphones in today’s digital age has raised concerns about the underlying reasons driving such behavior. However, the lack of experimental studies and scientific evidence exploring the relationship between smartphone use and acts of violence has hindered our understanding of this phenomenon. To bridge this gap, the present study aimed to investigate the potential link between smartphone usage and the perpetration of violence, specifically focusing on incidents where violent acts were recorded and shared publicly. Given the challenges associated with directly observing such occurrences and the limitations of self-reporting due to social desirability bias, the study adopted a novel approach by analyzing major news outlets. Cross-referencing the most recent cases involving 80 episodes of violence, spanning from 2017 to 2023, accompanied by smartphone-recorded videos, the research aimed to gain insights into the role and outcomes of content dissemination. The findings revealed a concerning trend, indicating a rise in violence perpetrated with the aid of smartphones, where subsequent sharing on social networks and instant messaging platforms contributed to the viral spread of such content. This study provides valuable insights into the connection between smartphone usage, violence, and the sharing of violent content. The implications of these findings highlight the need for further research and the development of tools to detect and address violence-related issues in the digital space. Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of responsible social media usage and collective efforts to curb the spread of violent content and foster a safer online environment.

Pop culture resentment: testing existing and alternative measures of white racial attitudes

ABSTRACT Understanding white Americans’ attitudes toward Black Americans is crucial in US public opinion. However, survey measurement of these attitudes is hampered by social desirability bias, low discriminant validity, and the potential for heightened demand characteristics and backlash. I propose a new measure: music genre preference. Consistent preference for genres historically and popularly linked to white culture over those linked to Black culture may partly reflect white Americans’ attitudes toward Black Americans. Using four online surveys comparing the performance of racial resentment, stereotype measures, and genre preference on social desirability, predictive and discriminant validity, and research awareness, I find that genre preference either outperforms or matches the established measures on these criteria. Genre preference thus provides a viable alternative for measuring white Americans’ attitudes toward Black Americans, and potentially other group attitudes in both the United States and other cultures. This also provides an example of sensitive question design using proxies that elicit attitudes without discomforting the survey taker or alerting them to the purpose of the study.

End-user verification results of two serum separator tubes for clinical chemistry analytes according to CLSI GP34-A and CLSI GP41-A6

Tube manufacturers use different composition of gels and blood clot activator formulations in serum tube production. Our aim was to investigate the within-tube (repeatability) and between-tube variation, concordance between comparison results of BD and VacuSEL tubes. Blood samples were collected from control subjects (n = 20) and patients (n = 30) in accordance with the CLSI GP41-A6 and CLSI GP34-A guidelines. Twenty-three clinical chemistry parameters were analysed via Roche Cobas C702 Chemistry Analyzer on T0 (0 hour) and T24 (24 hour). Mean differences % were compared with Wilcoxon matched pair test. Clinical significance was evaluated based on desirable bias according to total allowable error (TEa). VacuSEL tubes demonstrated acceptable performance for the results of 20 parameters with regards to desirable bias % limits. Lactate dehydrogenase (LD) [mean difference % (%95 confidence intervals (CI) values of BD and VacuSEL tubes at T0 [6.41% (4.80–8.01%)]; sodium (Na) and total protein (TP) at T24 [-0.27% (-0.46 to −0.07%) and −1.39% (-1.87 to −0.91), respectively] were over the desirable bias limits (LD: 4.3%, Na: 0.23% and TP: 1.36%, respectively) but not exceeding total biological variation CV % [Na: 0.5 (0.0–1.0) % and TP: 2.6 (2.3–2.7) %). %95 confidence intervals (CI) of T0 LD values overlap with within-subject biological variation % (CI) limits (LD: 5.2 (4.9–5.4) %). The differences between two tubes were not medically significant and necessarily conclusive. VacuSEL serum tubes presented comparable performance with BD serum tubes.

A thousand reasons to hate e-learning: a comparative analysis of empirical data and theoretical considerations pertaining to dissatisfaction with e-learning

Purpose E-learning has become a polarizing issue. Some say that it enhances accessibility to education and some say that it hinders it. While the literature on the subject underscores the effectiveness of the pedagogical frameworks, strategies and distance learning technologies, the firsthand accounts of students, parents and practitioners challenge the validity of experts’ assessments. There is a gap between theory and practice and between the perceptions of providers and consumers of online learning. Following a period of lockdowns and a transition to online learning during the recent pandemic, the prevailing sentiment toward a distance mode of instruction became one of strong skepticism and negative bias. The aim of the study was to examine why e-learning has struggled to meet stakeholder expectations. Specifically, the study posed two research questions: 1. What are the reasons for dissatisfaction with online learning? 2. What are the implications for future research and practice? Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed methods approach to examine the reasons behind negative perceptions of online learning by comparing the firsthand accounts posted on social media with the literature. To this end, n = 62,874 social media comments of secondary and postsecondary students, as well as parents, teachings staff and working professionals, covering the span of over 14 years (2008–2022), were collected and analyzed. Findings The study identified 28 themes that explain the stakeholder’s discontent with the online learning process and highlighted the importance of user-centric design. The analysis revealed that the perceived ineffectiveness of distance education stems from the failure to identify and address stakeholders’ needs and, more particularly, from the incongruence of instructional strategies, blindness to the cost of decisions related to instructional design, technology selection and insufficient levels of support. The findings also highlight the importance of user-centric design. Practical implications To address dissatisfaction with e-learning, it is imperative to remove barriers to learning and ensure alignment between technology and learners’ needs. In other words, the learning experience should be personalized to account for individual differences. Despite its cost-effectiveness, the one-size-fits-all approach hinders the learning process and experience and is likely to be met with resistance. Originality/value Drawing from the extensive literature, the study offers an explanation for stakeholders’ discontent with e-learning. Unlike survey research that is prone to social desirability bias, the sample provides a rare opportunity to observe and measure the visceral reactions that provide a more authentic sense of stakeholders’ perceptions toward online learning. The authors offer recommendations and identify areas for future research.

Measuring persistent somatic symptom related stigmatisation: Development of the Persistent Somatic Symptom Stigma scale for Healthcare Professionals (PSSS-HCP)

ObjectivePersistent somatic symptoms (PSS) describe recurrent or continuously occurring symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, or pain that have persisted for at least several months. These include single symptoms such as chronic pain, combinations of symptoms, or functional disorders such as fibromyalgia or irritable bowel syndrome. While stigmatisation by healthcare professionals is regularly reported, there are limited measurement instruments demonstrating content validity. This study develops a new instrument to measure stigmatisation by healthcare professionals, the Persistent Somatic Symptom Stigma scale for Healthcare Professionals (PSSS-HCP). MethodsDevelopment was an iterative process consisting of research team review, item generation and cognitive interviewing. We generated a longlist of 60 items from previous reviews and qualitative research. We conducted 18 cognitive interviews with healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom (UK). We analysed the relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness of items, including the potential for social desirability bias. ResultsAfter research team consensus and initial feedback, we retained 40 items for cognitive interviewing. After our first round of interviews (n = 11), we removed 20 items, added three items and amended five items. After our second round of interviews (n = 7), we removed four items and amended three items. No major problems with relevance, comprehensibility, comprehensiveness or social desirability were found in remaining items. ConclusionsThe provisional version of the PSSS-HCP contains 19 items across three domains (stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination), demonstrating sufficient content validity. Our next step will be to perform a validation study to finalise item selection and explore the structure of the PSSS-HCP.

Using Hypothetical Scenarios to Address Social Desirability Bias: Investigating Student Perceptions, Evaluations, and Motivations of Cheating and Academic Integrity in the General Chemistry Laboratory.

Supporting students with upholding the principles of academic integrity is an important aspect of teaching. Academic integrity is especially important in chemistry laboratory classrooms, where students gain hands-on experience related to research and scientific practices. Prior literature on academic integrity largely focuses on catching and preventing cheating, describing various factors commonly associated with cheating behaviors. This body of literature assumes that students neutralize their feelings about cheating to engage in unethical behavior. In contrast, for this study, we began with the assumption that students intend to act ethically; to this end, we sought to investigate students' perceptions, evaluations, and motivations related to cheating and academic integrity. We interviewed 24 students enrolled in general chemistry laboratories and asked questions related to cheating and academic integrity. Additionally, to address concerns about social desirability bias affecting students' responses, we asked students questions involving hypothetical scenarios related to academic integrity that were contextualized within the chemistry laboratory classroom. In our analysis, we found that students held common views about cheating and academic integrity in general but diverged in their responses to the hypothetical scenarios. Our findings suggest the importance of providing clearer, more direct instruction regarding what counts as cheating and how to engage in academically honest behavior within the chemistry laboratory classroom.

A qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives of the current system of assessing pharmacists’ readiness for independent practice in Ireland

Abstract Introduction Pharmacy students in Ireland are supervised by an approved tutor pharmacist (preceptor) during placement in the final year of the MPharm programme. Since 2020, students must pass two assessments of their readiness to practise – a Competency Assessment completed by their preceptor and an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) referred to as the Professional Registration Examination (PRE), prior to registration and independent practice. The Schools of Pharmacy in Ireland are collectively responsible for the PRE, including design and delivery of the national registration examination. A recent scoping review of the methods and processes used to determine pharmacists’ readiness for independent practice identified that Ireland is the only country globally where the Schools of Pharmacy are responsible for the national registration examination.[1] Aim This study aimed to explore pharmacy graduates’ and pharmacy preceptors’ perspectives of the current system of assessing pharmacist’s readiness for independent practice in Ireland. Methods Online, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with preceptors and recent pharmacy graduates. Purposive sampling was used to invite potential participants for interview. Preceptor participants were invited to take part via newsletter invitation and graduates were recruited via social media (Twitter advertisement). Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The topic guides were developed based on findings from a linked scoping review and the research team’s experience of the assessments.[1] The topic guides were piloted and refined. Key topics included participants’ awareness and perceptions of current assessments to determine readiness for independent practice and participants’ views regarding the readiness of newly registered pharmacists for independent pharmacy practice. Recruitment continued until thematic saturation was reached. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Fifteen interviews were conducted with preceptors (n=7, female=5, male=2) and recent graduates (n=8, female=5, male=3). The key themes identified were: The Competency Assessment Process, The Professional Registration Examination, Pharmacy Curriculum, Placement Training, Alternative Assessment Methods and Challenges Post-Registration. The most frequently noted issues relating to pharmacy curriculum and training were lack of training and practise in development of soft skills, people management and conflict resolution. Participants expressed concern regarding the fact that legal constraints were preventing students from developing skills required of pharmacists, especially in relation to decision making and prescription checking, and this is considered an impediment to fully preparing students for independent practice. Readiness to practise of graduates is considered context-specific with concerns expressed in relation to locuming practices of newly registered pharmacists. Conclusion This study has highlighted a number of stakeholder concerns regarding the current system of assessment of readiness to practise of pharmacists in Ireland, in particular in relation to the Competency Assessment process. While the interview technique facilitated collection of detailed information, the sample size would prevent generalisation to the target population. The possibility of interviewer bias and/or social desirability bias in participants should be acknowledged. Further research is required to explore the feasibility of the improvements proposed by participants.

‘Interesting’ or ‘boring’: Modifying the implicit association task to measure implicit fire interest in an adolescent community sample

The efficacy of explicit measures in assessing fire interest is often compromised by social desirability biases, presenting a challenge for early intervention programs aimed at preventing firesetting behaviour. The current study aimed to validate a novel fire interest Implicit Association Task (IAT), as a more reliable measure of implicit fire interest in adolescents. An Australian community adolescent sample of 85 participants, aged 10–17 (M = 13.65, SD = 1.81), completed a series of questionnaires, and the novel fire interest IAT. Based on self-reports, participants were classified as firelighters (n = 52) or non-firelighters (n = 33). IAT outcomes revealed an inclination towards associating “fire” with “interesting.” Notably, firelighters, compared to non-firelighters, performed significantly quicker during hypothesis-consistent trials of the IAT where fire-images were paired with interesting-words. Moreover, a weak correlation emerged between the speed of responses in these hypothesis-consistent IAT trials and self-reported fire interest. This investigation is one of the few that examined the efficacy of implicit measures of fire interest and is the first to do so using a modified IAT. With continued refinement, the fire interest IAT could be successfully used to assist with early intervention programs aimed at preventing child firesetting behaviour.PsychINFO Code: 3230

Role of parental smoking and environmental tobacco smoke exposure in childhood cancer: A study using hair cotinine analysis and questionnaires.

In the etiology of childhood cancers, many genetic and environmental factors play a role. One of these factors could be cigarette smoking, and the main source of tobacco smoke exposure of children is parental smoking. However, establishing a causal relationship between parental smoking and childhood cancers has proven challenging due to difficulties in accurately detecting tobacco smoke exposure METHODS: To address this issue, we used hair cotinine analysis and a questionnaire to get information about tobacco smoke exposures of pediatric cancer patients and healthy children. A total of 104 pediatric cancer patients and 99 healthy children participated in our study. Parental smoking behaviors (pre-conceptional, during pregnancy, and current smoking) and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposures of children are compared. We have found no differences between two groups by means of maternal smoking behaviors. However, the rates of paternal pre-conceptional smoking and smoking during pregnancy were significantly low in cancer patients (p<.05). These data suggest that social desirability bias among fathers of cancer patients may have contributed to this discrepancy. According to questionnaire, cancer patients had significantly lower ETS exposures than healthy children (p<.05). However, ETS exposure assessment through cotinine analysis demonstrated that cancer patients had higher exposure to ETS compared to healthy children (p<.001). Our findings provide evidence supporting the potential role of smoking as a risk factor for childhood cancers. This study also revealed that questionnaires could cause biases. We suggest that cotinine analysis along with validated questionnaires can be used to prevent biases in studies of tobacco smoke in the etiology of childhood cancers.

Understanding Labor Market Discrimination Against Transgender People: Evidence from a Double List Experiment and a Survey

Using a double list experiment designed to elicit views free from social desirability bias, we find that support in the United States for transgender people in the labor market is significantly overreported by 8%–10%. After correcting for this overreporting, we still find that over two-thirds of respondents would be comfortable with a transgender manager and support employment nondiscrimination protection for transgender people. However, respondents severely underestimate this level of support. We also show that stated labor market support for transgender people is lower than support for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. Our results advance our understanding of employment discrimination against transgender people. This paper was accepted by Marie Claire Villeval, behavioral economics and decision analysis. Funding: Financial support from The Vanderbilt LGBTQ+ Policy Lab. is gratefully acknowledged. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.02567 .

Social Media Influence on Emerging Adults’ Prosocial Behavior: A Systematic Review

Current literature has provided substantial empirical evidence on how different types of factors influence prosocial behavior, but limited literature explores the relationship between online social media factors and their psychological influence on emerging adults’ prosocial behavior. Moreover, the majority of experimental investigations have utilized self-reported questionnaires or irrelevant economic games to reflect people’s prosocial behavior instead of measuring prosocial behavior demonstrated in real-life, natural settings. Considering the gaps in past research, this systematic review aims to identify literature regarding the influence of social media on emerging adults’ prosocial behaviors. The review focuses on studies that observed individuals’ prosocial behavior in real-life settings to eliminate social desirability bias and accurately establish the effects of social media on emerging adults’ prosocial behavior.

Qualitative Assessment of Resilience: Lessons from Rural Women in South India

Resilience among women has garnered significant research attention, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 United Nations’ theme of "Building rural women’s resilience in the wake of COVID-19" aligned with that of the present study and sought to assess the applicability of the positive cognitive triad and psychological capital lenses in understanding the resilience characteristics of rural women in India. The study involved a diverse group of conveniently selected 31 rural women from the Idukki district, Kerala, South India, spanning an age range of 18 to 74 years. The deductive and inductive analyses of interview transcripts revealed convergence to the proposed positive cognitive triad -psychological capital framework and the emergence of new themes. Notably, gender emerged as a distinct theme that did not align with the operational definition of resilience, highlighting its significance in explaining resilience among Indian rural women. The study acknowledges limitations such as limited generalizability, social desirability bias, and a lack of quantitative data. In conclusion, this research contributes valuable insights to the literature on resilience among Indian rural women, emphasizing the importance of gender-centric and culturally sensitive resilience measures. The study recommends the implementation of such measures to enable a comprehensive assessment of resilience in this population, providing valuable resources for government and non-government agencies to design appropriate psychosocial interventions.

Validating the “Genuine Pipeline” to Limit Social Desirability Bias in Survey Estimates of Voter Turnout

Abstract It is well documented that survey overreporting of voter turnout due to social desirability bias threatens inference about political behavior. This paper reports four studies that contained question wording experiments to test questions designed to minimize that bias using a “pipeline” approach. The “pipeline” informs survey participants that researchers can perform vote validation to verify turnout self-reports. This approach reduced self-reported turnout by 5.7 points in the 2020 American National Election Study, which represents a majority of the estimated overreporting bias. It reduced reported turnout by 4 points in two nonprobability samples. No effect was found in a third nonprobability study with Amazon Mechanical Turk workers. Validated vote data also confirm that the pipeline approach reduced overreporting. We tested heterogeneous effects for sophistication and several other variables, but results were inconclusive. The pipeline approach reduces overreporting of voter turnout and produces more accurate estimates of voters’ characteristics.

Measurement Invariance of the Children's Social Desirability Scale-Short Version (CSD-S) Across Gender, Grade Level, and Race/Ethnicity.

Social desirability bias is a methodological challenge with participant self-reports. Social desirability measures are often used to control the potential effects of social desirability bias on participant self-reports, but whether these measures are interpreted similarly across different demographic groups remains unclear. This study examines the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Children's Social Desirability Scale-Short version (CSD-S) across gender, grade level, and race/ethnicity with a large sample of children and adolescents in the United States. Results indicate a close fit to a one-factor model. Tests of measurement invariance show partial strong invariance across gender (male vs. female) and grade level (elementary vs. middle vs. high schoolers) as well as strong invariance across race/ethnicity (Asian vs. Black/African American vs. Hispanic/Latine vs. White vs. Bi/Multiracial). Latent mean differences were found across grade level and race/ethnicity but not gender, with lower grades reporting higher social desirability than upper grades and Bi/Multiracials reporting lower social desirability than Asians and Hispanics/Latines. Findings provide preliminary evidence for the use of CSD-S in detecting social desirability bias and assessing meaningful social desirability differences in diverse children and adolescents.

Promoting residents’ happiness through a human-centric approach to tourism city development

PurposeThe study aims to delve into the influence of tourism on the happiness of city residents, grounded in the overarching concept of livability. It posits that prioritizing residents’ happiness is crucial for effectively addressing cities’ challenges in balancing development and distinctiveness. The study pursues three primary objectives: first, establishing a potential correlation between city tourism and residents’ happiness; second, examining the contributing factors to this correlation and third, identifying potential mediators that influence the connection between tourism development and residents’ happiness.Design/methodology/approachUsing a quantitative single-case design and partial least square analysis, the study underscores the intricate nature of various tourism development components. It specifically explores the roles of cognitive flexibility and social comparison in shaping the relationship between city tourism and happiness.FindingsThe findings make a distinctive contribution by revealing that not all tourism domains contribute positively to happiness. Furthermore, it sheds light on how tourism development impacts the emotional and cognitive dimensions of happiness, emphasizing the adverse effects of inequality and feelings of insecurity.Research limitations/implicationsThe study acknowledges certain constraints, including its employment of a cross-sectional design, the issue of generalizability, potential sampling bias and the reliance on subjective measurements when evaluating constructs like happiness and satisfaction with life. Using self-reported data introduces susceptibility to social desirability bias and individual perceptual differences, potentially resulting in measurement inaccuracies. Nevertheless, despite these limitations, the study’s findings offer valuable insights that contribute to both theoretical advancement and the realm of urban management.Practical implicationsThe findings elucidated through the mediation analyses conducted for hypotheses three to seven shed light on the significant roles played by mental adaptation and social comparison mechanisms in shaping individuals’ happiness. These insights substantially enhance our understanding of this field. Particularly, the dimensions of social and environmental impact within tourism appear to counterbalance the positive effects stemming from the economic and cultural aspects. This suggests a scenario where an excessive focus on tourism development could potentially undermine the overall livability of the city. These outcomes further indicate the necessity for proactive interventions by destination managers. Their efforts should be directed toward enhancing the environmental and social domains, aiming to reinvigorate the sense of community among residents, which appears to be gradually waning.Social implicationsThe outcomes of this study emphasize the utmost significance of prioritizing residents’ happiness above mere considerations of economic growth when formulating efficacious strategies for tourism. By concentrating on the happiness of the local population, a harmonious resonance is established with Sustainable Development Goal 11, which advocates for the creation of habitable cities founded upon the principle that “a city that is not good for its citizens is not good for tourists.” This alignment underscores the interconnected nature of residents’ happiness and the sustainable development of tourism. Moreover, residents’ happiness plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenge that cities face in harmonizing growth and their uniqueness, ensuring competitiveness and sustainability.Originality/valueThe research underscores the need for a people-oriented perspective in urban planning and tourism development initiatives. The study identifies diverse factors impacting residents’ happiness in city tourism, highlighting the complex interplay of environmental, cultural and socioeconomic elements. It emphasizes income’s role but underscores nonmaterial factors and individual preferences. Overall, the study offers timely and valuable insights into the intricate connection between tourism development, residents’ happiness, living conditions and human perception, guiding urban planners and stakeholders.

To be, or not to be in formalization: the relationship between HR practices and work engagement in the aviation industry

Purpose This study aims to examine the moderating role of formalization in the relationship between human resources (HR) practices and work engagement (WE) in aviation industry employees. The research revealed the moderator role of formalization, which is still one of the most critical components for aviation industry workers. Design/methodology/approach In the study, the authors used the survey method. In this explanatory and cross-sectional study, the authors examined a data set collected from aviation industry employees (n = 226) in Turkey using the partial least squares (PLS) method and tried to moderate the formalization. The authors analyzed the moderator role of formalization in the relationship between HR practices and WE with SmartPLS 3.0 and HAYES Process Macro. Findings The results of the study explain the effect of HR practices on WE in the context of social exchange theory through formalization. Findings show that formalization is an essential factor in HR practices’ resulting in higher WE. Research limitations/implications The study is cross-sectional. Research participants participated in the study voluntarily. This situation, in turn, may lead to a social desirability bias in participants' self-reported responses. To avoid this, the authors have prepared a standardized measurement tool. Again, since the authors do not request the names and institutions of the participants, confidentiality and anonymity are provided. Practical implications Research findings offer implications for companies and employees in developing economies, especially in the aviation sector. It refers to the necessity for companies aiming for a sustainable strategic position in the competitive aviation sector to attach importance to HR practices that will enable them to see their employees as a competitive advantage. In addition, the results emphasize the need for aviation industry companies to adopt an approach that considers both practices that can increase WE and formalization procedures that can affect employee behavior. Originality/value This research provides a comprehensive understanding to examine the interrelationships between HR, formalization and WE in the context of the mechanism of social change in the context of aviation industry workers. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other researcher has holistically addressed these links in general, particularly in a developing country. The findings significantly enrich the literature on HR practices and WE, particularly in the context of a developing country.

Should the risk of social desirability bias in survey studies be assessed at the level of each pro-environmental behaviour?

Social desirability bias is the tendency of individuals to over-report behaviour viewed favourably by society, such as environmentally sustainable behaviour. The currently prevalent approach to managing social desirability bias in survey studies is to include a set of additional questions to determine a respondent's person-specific social desirability bias, which can also be used as a correction factor. Yet, the pooled correlation between person-specific social desirability and self-reported pro-environmental behaviour is weak. Our study challenges the currently dominant approach. We propose an alternative approach that uses a behaviour-specific indicator. The behaviour-specific indicator captures the social evaluation of the behaviour and perceived embarrassment when admitting to the behaviour. The analysis of the associations between person-specific and behaviour-specific social desirability bias indicators and 11 self-reported behaviours suggests that the behaviour-specific approach has a higher ability to alert researchers to the risk of socially desirable responding in self-report survey studies.