Social Desirability Bias in Dietary Self-Report May Compromise the Validity of Dietary Intake Measures

1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 389-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAMES R HEBERT ◽  
LYNN CLEMOW ◽  
LORI PBERT ◽  
IRA S OCKENE ◽  
JUDITH K OCKENE
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Intake ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias

Exploring the empirical evidence of social desirability bias (SDB) in sport consumer research

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngho Park ◽  
Dae Hee Kwak
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Sport Management ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Sport Marketing ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Report Data ◽  
Self Report Data ◽  
And Control

PurposeThe current study aims to provide a systematic approach to detecting and identifying social desirability bias (SDB) in survey data using controversial sponsorship as a research context.Design/methodology/approachWe used an experimental approach to manipulate sponsorship situations (e.g. Beer sponsor vs Sports drink sponsor) that could potentially motivate respondents to under-report their perceptions toward the sponsor. By employing both procedural and statistical approaches, our evidence shows that responses toward the controversial sponsor were in fact contaminated by SDB.FindingsThe findings of the study provide methodological and practical implications for how sport marketing scholars and practitioners can identify, detect and control SDB in self-report data.Originality/valueWe argue that some survey research in sport marketing may be prone to SDB, but SDB has not received sufficient attention in sport marketing research. We emphasize the importance of detecting (and avoiding/controlling) SDB in sport management research.

Multidimensional Assessment of Social Desirability Bias: An Application of Multiscale Item Randomized Response Theory to Measure Academic Misconduct

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-397
Author(s):  
Nils Wlömert ◽  
David Pellenwessel ◽  
Jean-Paul Fox ◽  
Michel Clement
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Academic Misconduct ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Randomized Response ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Construct Dimensions

Abstract It is challenging for survey researchers to investigate sensitive topics due to concerns about socially desirable responding (SDR). The susceptibility to social desirability bias may vary not only between individuals (e.g., different perceptions about social norms) but also within individuals (e.g., perceived sensitivity of different items). Thus, controlling for SDR is particularly challenging when analyzing multidimensional constructs that are measured via multiple groups of items with varying degrees of sensitivity. In this research, we address this challenge using a combination of a randomized response (RR) approach for data collection and a multiscale item response theory (IRT) model for data analysis. While the RR approach protects the anonymity of respondents at the item level, the multiscale IRT approach accounts for the multidimensional nature of the construct and explicitly models the item-level differences in the measurement of its dimensions. We empirically demonstrate the benefits of the model using a multidimensional self-report instrument for the assessment of academic misconduct of university students. Based on an experiment with random assignment, our results uncover considerable differences in the perceived sensitivity, both between the construct dimensions and between their measurement items. These findings support the view that individuals engage in SDR to varying degrees depending on the perceived sensitivity of the specific items and groups of items. In contrast, a social desirability scale that treats SDR as a stable personality trait is not found to capture meaningful differences in response style. Finally, we show how structural models can be incorporated into the framework to link the latent construct’s dimensions to individual-level explanatory variables.

scholarly journals Do Survey Estimates of the Public’s Compliance with COVID-19 Regulations Suffer from Social Desirability Bias?

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Larsen ◽  
Jacob Nyrup ◽  
Michael Bang Petersen
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Compliant Behavior ◽  
List Experiment ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Survey Estimates

The COVID-19 pandemic has led governments to instate a large number of restrictions on and recommendations for citizens’ behavior. One widely used tool for measuring compliance with these strictures are nationally representative surveys that ask citizens to self-report their behavior. But if respondents avoid disclosing socially undesirable behaviors, such as not complying with government strictures in a public health crisis, estimates of compliance will be biased upwards. To assess the magnitude of this problem, this study compares measures of compliance from direct questions to those estimated from list-experiments - a response technique that allows respondents to report illicit behaviors without individual-level detection. Implementing the list-experiment in two separate surveys of Danish citizens (n>5,000), we find no evidence that citizens under-report non-compliant behavior. We therefore conclude that survey estimates of compliance with COVID-19 regulations do not suffer from social desirability bias.

Mitigating the Effects of Social Desirability Bias in Self-Report Surveys

2020 ◽  
pp. 146-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Durmaz ◽  
İnci Dursun ◽  
Ebru Tümer Kabadayi
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Measurement Methods ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
New Techniques

Self-reporting is a frequently used method to measure various constructs in many areas of social science research. Literature holds abundant evidence that social desirability bias (SDB), which is a special kind of response bias, can severely plague the validity and accuracy of the self-report survey measurements. However, in many areas of behavioral research, there is little or no alternative to self-report surveys for collecting data about specific constructs that only the respondents may have the information about. Thus, researchers need to detect or minimize SDB to improve the quality of overall data and their deductions drawn from them. Literature provides a number of techniques for minimizing SDB during survey procedure and statistical measurement methods to detect and minimize the validity-destructive impact of SDB. This study aims to explicate the classical and new techniques for mitigating the SDB and to provide a guideline for the researchers, especially for those who focus on socially sensitive constructs.

scholarly journals P123: Measuring health-related outcomes: is social desirability bias an issue we should be exploring while conducting emergency department research?

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S119-S120
Author(s):  
C. Villa-Roel ◽  
B. Borgundvaag ◽  
S.R. Majumdar ◽  
R. Leigh ◽  
M. Bhutani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Acute Asthma ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Opinion Leader ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Study Results

Introduction: Social desirability bias is a systematic error in self-report measures resulting from the desire of respondents to avoid embarrassment and project a favourable image of themselves to others. This bias may decrease the accuracy of self-reported health outcomes collected in health research compromise the validity of research findings. This study compared outcomes obtained by patient self-report vs. the same outcomes after undergoing verification and external adjudication, in trial involving patients with acute asthma. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of outcome data obtained in a randomized controlled trial conducted in 6 Canadian emergency departments (ED). Adult patients were allocated to receive usual care (UC), opinion leader [OL] guidance to their primary care provider (PCP), or OL guidance+nurse case-management [OL+CM] for patients (NCT01079000). Asthma relapses and PCP follow-up visits were blindly assessed through patient self-report 30 and 90 days after their ED presentation for acute asthma. Each reported event was verified through the provincial electronic medical record, the ED Information Systems, and by calling the PCPs’ offices. Two study investigators, blinded to the study interventions, independently reviewed and adjudicated the verified outcomes. Disagreements were resolved by consensus prior to un-blinding. Results: Overall, 367 patients were enrolled; more were female (64%) and the median age was 28 years. Overall, patient follow-up was obtained in 85% of cases. The proportion of asthma relapses occurring within the first 90 days were lower when considering patient self-report than when considering the adjudicated outcomes (17%[39/227] vs. 19%[70/367]). The proportion of PCP follow-up visits occurring within the first 30 days were higher when considering patient self-report than when considering the adjudicated outcomes (47%[139/290] vs. 40%[146/367]). The pattern was similar, regardless of the arm of the study (UC vs. OL vs. OL+CM arms); outcome disagreement did not influence the direction of magnitude of the treatment effect. Conclusion: Social desirability bias could have influenced the outcomes obtained by patient self-report in this ED-based study. The direction of the bias was the same for both outcomes; however, the variation did not change the study results. This bias may play a role in studies with smaller sample sizes.

Ethnic Differences in Social Desirability Bias: Effects on the Analysis of Public Service Motivation

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 472-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung Hyun Kim ◽  
Sangmook Kim
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
Public Service ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Service Motivation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Spurious Effect ◽  
Measurement Artifacts

Public service motivation (PSM) research heavily relies on self-report measures that are often susceptible to social desirability bias (SDB). Cultural orientation is also correlated with SDB. This study explores the ethnic differences in socially desirable responding when measuring PSM and job satisfaction in a multicultural but individualistic society like the United States. It tests the magnitude and pattern of SDB in measurements of PSM in this society as a whole, as well as the influence of ethnicity on SDB. The results of our experimental survey research show that SDB is significantly correlated with PSM measures, as well as job satisfaction. We therefore expect a spurious effect to occur in the correlational analysis. This implies that the correlation between job satisfaction and PSM is at least partly spurious due to measurement artifacts. Alternative ways to measure PSM need to be explored to control SDB.

Social Desirability Bias and Direction Modified Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2

2002 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 945-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave Smith ◽  
Simon Driver ◽  
Moira Lafferty ◽  
Clare Burrell ◽  
Tracey Devonport
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Soccer Players ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Social Desirability Scale ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Intraclass Correlations

This study examined the relation between social desirability bias and responses to the direction modified Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2 for male soccer players (37 professionals, 40 semiprofessionals, and 40 varsity players; M age = 24.5 yr., SD = 3.7) who completed the inventory and Reynolds' 13-item short form of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale one hour prior to a competitive match. Intraclass correlations were calculated to assess the relation between the two sets of scores. Out of the 18 correlations calculated, i.e., 6 subscales X 3 skill levels, 17 were significant ( p <.05), ranging from .38 to .70. The highest correlations were found among professional players and the lowest amongst the varsity players, but most of the differences were not statistically significant. These results indicate that scores on both the Intensity and Direction subscales of this anxiety inventory are significantly related to the tendency to self-report socially desirable answers. Therefore, care should be taken when interpreting data from studies using the inventory, and social desirability measures should be taken whenever using this questionnaire.

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