No matter how carefully the questionnaire writer constructs the questions, the data collected are only as accurate as the responses that are elicited. Respondents give inaccurate answers for a number of different reasons. They give inaccurate answers both consciously for reasons of their own, and also without any conscious realization that the information they are giving is inaccurate. The researcher must be aware of these inaccuracies, try to minimize them and, where necessary, take into consideration the bias and inaccuracy in the data.
In Chapter 1 some of these biases were examined, including the problems of memory, inattention by the respondent and deliberate lying. This chapter examines a particular category of response bias known as ‘social desirability bias’.
Source: Brace Ian (2018), Questionnaire Design: How to Plan, Structure and Write Survey Material for Effective Market Research, Kogan Page; 4th edition.
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