Social desirability bias

Social desirability ( Social Desirability Response Set) is a disruptive factor in surveys in social science and market research and thus a distortion. Social Desirability is when respondents give answers of which they believe they met with approval rather than the correct answer, in which they fear social rejection.

There are two types of social desirability: cultural and situational social desirability. The former is caused by internalized general behavioral expectations ( eg, due to traditional gender roles ), the latter in particular stimuli the interview situation (eg due to gender or skin color of the interviewer or the public of the interview situation ).

The extent of the distortion caused by social desirability also depends on the topic of the survey. Particularly affected are sensitive or embarrassing questions, for example after alcohol consumption, or political preference for parties on the right and left of the political spectrum. Social Desirability is expected to Response Sets ( response bias ).

Since the true value, so the answers without the influence of social desirability, is unknown, it is difficult to detect the effect. However, it is possible to identify issues that are vulnerable to social desirability. To do this requires a number of respondents to ( "split ballot" ), to answer the questions so that they present themselves in a favorable light ( "Faking Good Instruction "). Another part of the respondents call on you to answer the questions so that they are in an unfavorable light as possible represent themselves ( "Faking Bad Instruction "). The more the responses of the two groups differ, the more the question of social desirability is affected.

Measures to reduce the influence of social desirability are mailed query formulations or the use of question batteries whose individual questions vary greatly affected by the problem. One method to estimate the proportion of honest answers, the randomized response technique. The most common scale for comparison of social desirability, the Marlowe - Crowne Scale.