Social Desirability Response Bias Research Articles

The importance and efficacy of controlling for social desirability response bias

ABSTRACT The extant literature acknowledges social desirability response bias (SDRB) is a pervasive issue for research that uses survey data and proposes several approaches to mitigating the issue, including: self-administered questionnaires, indirect questioning, and direct measurement. The objective of this study is to provide empirical evidence related to the importance of controlling for SDRB and the efficacy of these approaches. Using a primary sample of 365 business majors, we find the most common methodologies used to control for SDRB, self-administered questionnaires and indirect questions, are insufficient. A direct measure of SDRB remains significant when these approaches are used, and the exclusion of this measure affects the significance of other variables. Less than 5% of accounting-and-ethics research using survey data includes a direct control for SDRB. Our study provides empirical evidence on a methodological issue addressed in few existing studies.

Attitudes toward osteopathic medicine scale: development and psychometrics.

To develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring attitudes toward osteopathic medicine. Participants included 5,669 first-year students from 33 U.S. colleges of osteopathic medicine, who completed an online survey at the beginning of the 2019-2020 academic year. Using data from the nationwide Project in Osteopathic Medical Education and Empathy, we developed a 13-item instrument: Attitudes Toward Osteopathic Medicine Scale (ATOMS) and demonstrated the validity and reliability of its scores. The social desirability response bias was controlled in statistical analyses. The corrected item-total score correlations were all positive and statistically significant, and the effect sizes of item discrimination indices were large. Cronbach's coefficient alpha reliability was 0.83. Construct validity, corroborating face and content validity of the ATOMS, was supported by three components, emerged from factor analysis: "Perspectives on Osteopathic Medicine," "Osteopathic Diagnosis and Treatment," and "Holistic-Integrative Care." Correlations between ATOMS scores and scores of cognitive empathy, emotional empathy; orientation toward interprofessional collaboration; lifelong learning; and burnout were statistically significant in the expected direction, providing validity evidence for the ATOMS. Using the method of contrasted groups, significant differences in the ATOMS scores were found by gender, ethnicity, academic background, and career interest in the expected direction, supporting the validity of the ATOMS scores. National norms were developed to assess individual scores alongside national percentile ranks. The ATOMS, developed in a nationwide study, supported by strong psychometric evidence for measuring orientation toward osteopathic medicine, has implications for the assessment of osteopathic medical education, patient outcomes, and admission decisions.

How Social Desirability Response Bias May Lead to an Overestimation of Obama-Trump Voters

Abstract In this research note, we argue that a segment of Trump voters may be motivated to demonstrate that they are not racially insensitive by saying they voted for Obama in 2012. As a result, what may appear as a substantial group of swing voters may be—in part—partisan voters who want to avoid perceptions of racial bias. Using data from a survey of a nationally representative nonprobability sample from YouGov, polling data from the 2016 election, and a survey experiment conducted with a convenience sample of American adults, we find that Obama-Trump voters score significantly higher on a social monitoring scale than others and that respondents are significantly more supportive of Trump when they are given the opportunity to mention who they voted for in 2012. The combination of results suggests that the number of Obama-Trump voters may be overestimated due to self-monitoring.

The impact of Covid-19 on unemployment across Italy: Consequences for those affected by psychiatric conditions

BackgroundSevere psychological and psychosocial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are expected, especially for people already vulnerable to biological or psychosocial stressors, including those with mental health problems. The study aimed to investigate factors associated with the loss of jobs and unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we investigated whether mental illness was associated with a higher risk of losing one's job because of the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsNineteen thousand four hundred ninety-six adults living in Italy were administered an online protocol including a sociodemographic checklist and questionnaires investigating suicide ideation and risk, mental health status and general distress (stress, anxiety, and depression), resilience, and perceived support. ResultsOne thousand two hundred seventy-four reported having lost their job because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and 5.4% of the sample reported a mental illness (mostly a depressive disorder). Unemployment was independently associated with mental illness, poor mental health, and depression. Mental illness was associated with the risk of losing one's job because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not at the multivariate analyses. Those who lost their job because of the COVID-19 pandemic (compared to others) reported worse mental health and depression. LimitationsThe presence of mental illness was self-reported by respondents and the administered measures were self-reported questionnaires affected by social desirability and other response bias. ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic and social isolation measures and lockdown used to contain its spread among the Italian population were associated with occupational insecurity, especially among the more vulnerable social categories.

Perceived Vulnerability As a Determinant of Increased Risk for Cybersecurity Risk Behavior.

There is interest in better understanding people's cybersecurity (CS)-related attitudes and behaviors, which are ultimately impacted by their perceived vulnerability to CS risks. There is a relationship between how risk is perceived and how someone acts, with protection motivation theory (PMT) providing a particularly salient framework for explaining this connection. Exploration of how one perceives his or her own vulnerability to CS victimization is essential to understanding this interaction, and risk mitigation of threats relies heavily on the human despite increased reliance on digital technologies such as machine learning that can be used proactively and in real time yet are still impacted by human behavior. This study sought to examine the information security attitudes and behaviors that contribute to perceived CS vulnerability. A convenience sample of 612 college students sampled from two public universities in the United States completed a brief demographic survey and the Online Security Behavior and Beliefs Questionnaire. The instrument demonstrated good internal reliability with an index of perceived vulnerability significantly and positively correlating with multiple subscales. Linear regression indicated subscales that tended to focus more on one's inner belief that he or she is capable and competent enough to understand the nature of CS risks was predictive of perceived vulnerability, potentially resulting from a social desirability response bias which yielded an overly favorable self-report. PMT suggests that knowledge is an essential factor influencing decision making and results of this study suggest that perceived vulnerability may depend upon the appraisal of experience more so than one's actual knowledge or competence.

Concerns of women regarding pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveBetter understand knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant women and mothers of infants around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). MethodsA 58-item electronic survey was distributed to pregnant and postpartum women (infants <12 months) who were >15 years, English-speaking and enrolled in prenatal programs. Data is summarized using central tendency, frequencies and nonparametric statistics. ResultsOf 114 (51 % response rate) participants, 82.5 % reported negative changes in mental status measures (e.g. stress, anxious thoughts, changes in sleep patterns). All reported risk-reduction behavior changes (e.g. handwashing/use of sanitizer, social distancing). Significant changes were reported in employment and financial status due to the pandemic. Increases in alcohol consumption among postpartum women were also reported. Few reported changes in prenatal, infant or postpartum healthcare access. ConclusionThis study provides initial insight into the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is limited as participants represent a single Midwest community and social desirability response bias may have impacted responses. However, results may inform future interventions to support pregnant women and mothers of infants during pandemics. Practice implicationsProviders should consider the impact of such events on mental status, access to resources and changes in behaviors.

Linking ethical leadership and ethical climate to employees' ethical behavior: the moderating role of person–organization fit

Linking ethical leadership and ethical climate to employees' ethical behavior: the moderating role of person–organization fit

Advances in Estimation of Sensitive Issues on Successive Occasions

Surveys related to sensitive issues are accompanied with social desirability response bias which flaw the validity of analysis. This problem became serious when sensitive issues are estimated on successive occasions. The scrambled response technique is an alternative solution as it preserve respondents anonymity. Therefore, the present article endeavours to propose an improved class of estimators for estimating sensitive population mean at current occasion using an innocuous variable in two occasion successive sampling. Detailed properties of the estimators are analysed. Optimum allocation to fresh and matched samples are obtained. Many existing estimators in successive sampling have been modified to work for sensitive population mean estimation under scrambled response technique. The proposed estimators has been compared with recent modified estimators. Theoretical considerations are integrated with empirical and simulation studies to ascertain the efficiency gain derived from the proposed improved class of estimators.

Support for recognition and payment options for egg and sperm donation in New Zealand and Australia.

To what extent do infertility clinic patients, fertility industry professionals and members of the public support different forms of payment and recognition for egg and sperm donation? While participants expressed support for reimbursement of expenses for both egg and sperm donation, payment constituting explicit financial advantage was regarded less favourably although potentially necessary to address donor gamete shortages. In both New Zealand and Australia, commercial inducement for the supply of gametes is prohibited. This prohibition has been argued to contribute to limited availability of donor gametes with the effect of increasing waiting lists and/or the pursuit of potentially unregulated cross-border reproductive care by domestic patients requiring donor gametes. The study was a mixed methods study drawing on data from a questionnaire completed by 434 participants from across New Zealand and Australia between November 2018 and March 2019. Stakeholders involved in donor-assisted conception (past and present infertility patients, gamete recipients and donors), fertility industry professionals and members of the public were recruited following online advertisement of the study. All participants spoke English and primarily identified as Caucasian. Participants anonymously completed an online questionnaire gauging their support for a range of recognition and payment options. Dependent samples t-tests were used to probe for differences in support of recognition and payment options in relation to egg and sperm donation. Linear regression models were used to determine factors predicting support for the different options for both egg and sperm donation. Thematic analysis was used to identify main themes in free text question responses. Broadly, there was agreement that donors be reimbursed for medical expenses, travel time, unpaid time away from work relating to treatments and out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the gamete donation process, with greater support suggested for egg versus sperm donors. Items gauging support for non-material recognition and tokens of thanks for donations were not significantly different between egg and sperm donation programmes (P > 0.05) nor rated as highly as reimbursement alternatives. Lowest ratings of support were indicated for the outright payment or reward of donors for the supply of their gametes, options that would leave donors in better financial positions. Qualitatively, themes valuing gamete donation as ideally relating to gifting were identified, although counterbalanced in opinion by concepts of fairness in reimbursing gamete donors for their costs. Where payment over and above the reimbursement of costs was supported, this was related to pragmatic considerations of limited supply of donor gametes. This study used a cross-sectional design and consequently causal inferences cannot be made. Additionally, participants particularly professional fertility staff, were required to self-report on politically sensitive and legal issues with the potential for social desirability response bias. Snowball sampling may have led to participation of like-minded individuals, thus limiting generalizations of findings. In a climate of global commercialization of reproductive medicine, limited donor gamete availability and rising incidences of cross-border reproductive care, the findings of this study can be used as a basis for further discussion between regulators and professional industry stakeholders with respect to shaping ethical policy and practice relating to donor conception. No external funds were sought for this work. None of the authors have any competing interests to declare. N/A.

Non-Cognitive Assessment in Higher Education

Non-cognitive assessment is used to identify at-risk college students and leverage limited resources to promote academic performance and persistence. Instruments that measure these psychosocial attitudes and skills require self-reported responses and, thus, may be subject to distortion. This study examined the social desirability response bias in a specific non-cognitive assessment tool, the Student Strengths Inventory (SSI), including gender and ethnic differences. Results show that college students did not respond to the SSI in a socially desirable way. Additionally, the SSI subscales contributed to significant variance in the prediction of academic performance and persistence. This study empirically supports the use of non-cognitive assessment in higher education and suggests interventions for using non-cognitive assessment data at the individual, group, and aggregate level.

Moderating role of employee engagement on conflict–politics relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between relationship conflict and the perception of organization politics (POP) and the moderating role of employee engagement. The study hypothesizes that the conflict results in the presence of POP only for those employees who are relatively less engaged with the organization. The paper further explores the mediating role of perceived politics between the relationship conflict and job-related outcome variables including openness to diversity, turnover intent and perception of justice. In sum, the authors contend that employee engagement will act as a moderator between relationship conflict and POP, and POP further will act as a mediator between relationship conflict and its job-related outcomes.Design/methodology/approachA descriptive study was carried on to conduct this research. Data were collected at two different points of time from the employees of two public sector undertakings (n=206). About 80 questionnaires were not returned by the respondents, reducing the sample size to be 126. Of these, 115 were usable, resulting in a 55.83 percent response rate. SEM was employed to test the hypotheses with the help of Smart PLS 3.0. A two-step process was followed to test the hypothesized model. Testing the significance of proposed relationships in the structural model was followed by the evaluation of the measurement model.FindingsThe results of the study highlighted a positive association between the relationship conflict and POP. A moderating effect of employee engagement on relationship conflict and perceived organizational politics (POP) was observed. Further, POP was found to have a positive relationship with the intention to leave and a negative relationship with openness to diversity and perception of justice was observed. POP mediated the relationship between relationship conflict with the intention to leave and the perception of justice.Research limitations/implicationsThe very first limitation of the present study is its cross-sectional design. Since the data were gathered from the same respondents, the causal relationships between variables are subject to biases (Bobko and Stone-Romero, 1998). Further, the data were gathered with the help of self-report questionnaires, and the findings of this study might have been influenced by the social desirability response bias (Podsakoff et al., 2003). Hence, future work should focus on using a combination of sources for data collection. This study also proposes a possible role of emotional intelligence in employee engagement and their POP, which can be tested in future studies.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that relationship conflict leads to POP, which eventually results in adverse job-related outcomes. In order to control the negative effects of politics perception, organizations should undertake conflict prevention and conflict management techniques. To further reduce the level of POP, organizations shall take steps to better engage their employees because even when the level of relationship conflict is high, people perceive less politics if they are highly engaged with the organization.Originality/valueThe study is an original work carried out to understand the relationship between relationship conflict and the POP, and the moderating role of employee engagement.

Using a Polygraph System for Evaluation of the Social Desirability Response Bias in Self-Report Measures of Aggression.

Empirical evidence suggests that respondents systematically overreport socially desirable behaviors and systematically underreport socially undesirable behaviors. This "social desirability response bias (SDRB)" presents significant challenges for research that relies on self-report measures to assess behaviors that adhere to or violate social norms. The present study used a state-of-the-art polygraph system to examine SDRB in widely used aggression questionnaires, including the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire-Short Form, the Indirect Aggression subscale of the Aggression Questionnaire by Western Psychological Services, and the Reactive-Proactive Questionnaire. Sixteen college students with no criminal record, no known prior history of aggressive behavior, and no reported drug abuse, responded to verbally administered forms of the instruments. Indirect aggression items produced the largest, statistically significant physiological response across the sampled channels. The magnitude of this response was negatively and significantly correlated with the self-report ratings of the frequency of such behaviors. The mean separation between physiological (skin conductance) and self-report responses for indirect aggression remained significant and consistent with correlational analyses when both types of responses were converted to the same scale and compared directly. Finally, the relative magnitude of skin conductance response for items assessing indirect aggression was significantly greater than the relative magnitude of skin conductance response for direct aggression. Overall, the study suggests that the use of automated state-of-the art polygraph systems may potentially identify sensitive items on self-report instruments where social responsibility response bias is possible. Implications for the use of this procedure with such instruments are discussed.

Clinicians' Perspectives on Providing Emergency-Only Hemodialysis to Undocumented Immigrants

In the United States, nearly half of undocumented immigrants with end-stage kidney disease receive hemodialysis only when they are evaluated in an emergency department and are found to have life-threatening renal failure ("emergency-only hemodialysis" [EOHD]). These patients experience psychosocial distress and much higher mortality than patients receiving regularly scheduled hemodialysis, but little is known about how providing EOHD affects the clinicians involved. To understand clinicians' experiences providing EOHD. Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. A safety-net hospital in Denver, Colorado, and a safety-net system in Houston, Texas. Fifty interdisciplinary clinicians experienced in providing EOHD. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Outcomes included themes and subthemes. Four themes and 13 subthemes (in parentheses) were identified: 1) drivers of professional burnout (emotional exhaustion from witnessing needless suffering and high mortality, jeopardizing patient trust, detaching from patients, perceived lack of control over EOHD criteria, and physical exhaustion from overextending to bridge care), 2) moral distress from propagating injustice (altered care based on nonmedical factors, focus on volume at the expense of quality, and need to game the system), 3) confusing and perverse financial incentives (wasting resources, confusing financial incentives, and concerns about sustainability), and 4) inspiration toward advocacy (deriving inspiration from patients and strengthened altruism). Whether the findings apply to other settings is unknown, and social desirability response bias might have reduced reporting of negative perceptions and experiences. Clinicians in safety-net settings who provide EOHD to undocumented patients describe experiencing moral distress and being driven toward professional burnout. The burden of EOHD on clinicians should inform discussions of systemic approaches to support provision of adequate care based on medical need. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Advances in estimation by the item sum technique using auxiliary information in complex surveys

To collect sensitive data, survey statisticians have designed many strategies to reduce nonresponse rates and social desirability response bias. In recent years, the item count technique has gained considerable popularity and credibility as an alternative mode of indirect questioning survey, and several variants of this technique have been proposed as new needs and challenges arise. The item sum technique (IST), which was introduced by Chaudhuri and Christofides (Indirect questioning in sample surveys, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2013) and Trappmann et al. (J Surv Stat Methodol 2:58–77, 2014), is one such variant, used to estimate the mean of a sensitive quantitative variable. In this approach, sampled units are asked to respond to a two-list of items containing a sensitive question related to the study variable and various innocuous, nonsensitive, questions. To the best of our knowledge, very few theoretical and applied papers have addressed the IST. In this article, therefore, we present certain methodological advances as a contribution to appraising the use of the IST in real-world surveys. In particular, we employ a generic sampling design to examine the problem of how to improve the estimates of the sensitive mean when auxiliary information on the population under study is available and is used at the design and estimation stages. A Horvitz–Thompson-type estimator and a calibration-type estimator are proposed and their efficiency is evaluated by means of an extensive simulation study. Using simulation experiments, we show that estimates obtained by the IST are nearly equivalent to those obtained using “true data” and that in general they outperform the estimates provided by a competitive randomized response method. Moreover, variance estimation may be considered satisfactory. These results open up new perspectives for academics, researchers and survey practitioners and could justify the use of the IST as a valid alternative to traditional direct questioning survey modes.

Multiple sensitive estimation and optimal sample size allocation in the item sum technique.

For surveys of sensitive issues in life sciences, statistical procedures can be used to reduce nonresponse and social desirability response bias. Both of these phenomena provoke nonsampling errors that are difficult to deal with and can seriously flaw the validity of the analyses. The item sum technique (IST) is a very recent indirect questioning method derived from the item count technique that seeks to procure more reliable responses on quantitative items than direct questioning while preserving respondents' anonymity. This article addresses two important questions concerning the IST: (i) its implementation when two or more sensitive variables are investigated and efficient estimates of their unknown population means are required; (ii) the determination of the optimal sample size to achieve minimum variance estimates. These aspects are of great relevance for survey practitioners engaged in sensitive research and, to the best of our knowledge, were not studied so far. In this article, theoretical results for multiple estimation and optimal allocation are obtained under a generic sampling design and then particularized to simple random sampling and stratified sampling designs. Theoretical considerations are integrated with a number of simulation studies based on data from two real surveys and conducted to ascertain the efficiency gain derived from optimal allocation in different situations. One of the surveys concerns cannabis consumption among university students. Our findings highlight some methodological advances that can be obtained in life sciences IST surveys when optimal allocation is achieved.

The relationship between social desirability bias and self-reports of health, substance use, and social network factors among urban substance users in Baltimore, Maryland

BackgroundSocial desirability response bias may lead to inaccurate self-reports and erroneous study conclusions. The present study examined the relationship between social desirability response bias and self-reports of mental health, substance use, and social network factors among a community sample of inner-city substance users. MethodsThe study was conducted in a sample of 591 opiate and cocaine users in Baltimore, Maryland from 2009 to 2013. Modified items from the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were included in the survey, which was conducted face-to-face and using Audio Computer Self Administering Interview (ACASI) methods. ResultsThere were highly statistically significant differences in levels of social desirability response bias by levels of depressive symptoms, drug use stigma, physical health status, recent opiate and cocaine use, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores, and size of social networks. There were no associations between health service utilization measures and social desirability bias. In multiple logistic regression models, even after including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) as a measure of depressive symptomology, social desirability bias was associated with recent drug use and drug user stigma. Social desirability bias was not associated with enrollment in prior research studies. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that social desirability bias is associated with key health measures and that the associations are not primarily due to depressive symptoms. Methods are needed to reduce social desirability bias. Such methods may include the wording and prefacing of questions, clearly defining the role of “study participant,” and assessing and addressing motivations for socially desirable responses.

(535) - Social Desirability Response Bias in Transplant Candidates' Self-Report of Psychosocial Variables

(535) - Social Desirability Response Bias in Transplant Candidates' Self-Report of Psychosocial Variables

Are Sex Effects on Ethical Decision-Making Fake or Real? A Meta-Analysis on the Contaminating Role of Social Desirability Response Bias.

A meta-analysis of 143 studies was conducted to explore how the social desirability response bias may influence sex effects on ratings on measures of ethical decision-making. Women rated themselves as more ethical than did men; however, this sex effect on ethical decision-making was no longer significant when social desirability response bias was controlled. The indirect questioning approach was compared with the direct measurement approach for effectiveness in controlling social desirability response bias. The indirect questioning approach was found to be more effective.

Social Desirability Response Bias and Other Factors That May Influence Self-Reports of Substance Use and HIV Risk Behaviors: A Qualitative Study of Drug Users in Vietnam.

The accuracy of self-report data may be marred by a range of cognitive and motivational biases, including social desirability response bias. The current study used qualitative interviews to examine self-report response biases among participants in a large randomized clinical trial in Vietnam. A sample of study participants was reinterviewed. The vast majority reported being truthful and emphasized the importance of rapport with the study staff for achieving veridical data. However, some stated that rapport may lead to under reporting of risk behaviors in order not to disappoint study staff. Other factors that appeared to influence accuracy of self-reports include fear that the information may be divulged, desire to enroll in the study, length of the survey, and memory. There are several methods that can be employed to reduce response biases, and future studies should systematically address response bias and include methods to assess whether approaches and survey items are effective in improving accuracy of self-report data.

The rationalization and persistence of organic food beliefs in the face of contrary evidence

Surveys generally find the most common consumer rationale for adopting organic foods is a positive belief regarding personal health benefits. The current research examines the persistence of organic food health beliefs after exposure to a Stanford University meta-analysis, which concludes that organically produced foods do not offer significant nutritional advantages versus conventionally produced food. Content analysis of 710 reader responses to reports of the Stanford study results is utilized to classify the ‘pro-organic’ and ‘organic-skeptic’ reader comments into one or more of the following opinion categories: 1) the validity of the Stanford study, 2) the personal impact of organic food consumption, and 3) the environmental impact of organic food production. No evidence is found that the Stanford results changed the minds of pro-organic commenters regarding organic foods, as health related benefits continued as the most common justification for organic food consumption, particularly when produced by small local farms. The analysis also finds the Stanford results confirming organic-skeptic beliefs that organically produced food provides little or no health advantage to justify its high price, which suggests that convincing organic skeptics to regularly choose organic foods may require the adoption of higher yield farming methods as a means of reducing organic price premiums. Methods that increase organic production yields, however, may create conflicts among the many pro-organic consumers who believe that organic health and environmental benefits are derived from relatively inefficient local farm production. The current results also suggest that content analysis of anonymous and voluntarily provided online content is an effective method for minimizing social desirability response bias among respondents, which is often an issue in the empirical study of topics involving environmental beliefs, attitudes, and behavior.