Social desirability bias

Definition

Social desirability bias is the tendency of survey respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others, often leading to overreporting of "good" behavior or underreporting of "bad" behavior. This can skew the results of surveys and polls, especially on sensitive topics related to political participation and public opinion.

Related terms

Response bias: A general term for a wide range of cognitive biases that influence respondents away from an accurate or truthful response.

Public opinion polls: Surveys or questionnaires designed to measure the public’s views about political issues, policies, candidates, or events.

Nonresponse bias: Occurs when individuals who do not participate in a survey differ significantly from those who do, potentially distorting the survey's findings