Why people lie to surveys to protect their reputation
In short: When researchers ask about sensitive topics, respondents often perform for their audience. This social desirability bias can distort data on everything from drug use to income, making it difficult for scientists to grasp the true reality of human behavior and health.
Social desirability bias occurs when individuals underreport undesirable behaviors and overreport desirable ones to fit in or please an audience. According to psychologist Paulhus (1984), this arises from two separate drivers: impression management, involving intentional self-presentation to suit a context, and self-deception, an unconscious urge to preserve a positive self-concept.
This bias poses a significant challenge to the validity of survey research. In a study of 591 substance users in Baltimore, Maryland, conducted between 2009 and 2013, researchers found that social desirability bias was significantly associated with recent drug use and the stigma associated with being a drug user. Interestingly, the study found these associations remained even when accounting for depressive symptoms, suggesting the bias is not merely a byproduct of depression.
The phenomenon can manifest in various directions depending on the subject. For instance, in studies of sexual partners, men may inflate their numbers while women tend to underestimate theirs. Similarly, personal income is often inflated when low and deflated when high. Even in professional settings, traditional psychometric tests are susceptible to this bias, though recent research into AI-driven chatbots suggests they may be more resistant to such distortions, even if they currently struggle with predictive validity.
To combat this, researchers are testing various reduction methods. A systematic review of 79 papers found that face-saving strategies are among the most effective ways to reduce bias, helping to ensure that the data collected reflects actual human behavior rather than a curated version of it.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The relationship between social desirability bias and self-reports of health, substance use, and social network factors among urban substance users in Baltimore, Maryland - PMC
- Also: Social-desirability bias
- Also: Unraveling honest responding: a systematic review on the effectiveness of social desirability bias reduction methods in survey research.
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