While replicating findings on American National Election Studies (ANES) and Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CGSS), our research flagged an anomaly with Amazon MTurk.

The Platform Difference

We discovered that respondents on MTurk were conditioned by its built-in attention checks to strategically use the 'don't know' option, a behavior unseen elsewhere.

This strategic avoidance stems from MTurk's unique quality control features. Respondents appear more cautious and error-averse compared to panel-based surveys like ANES or CGSS.

What This Means for Researchers

Piloting political knowledge experiments on MTurk requires awareness of this distinct response pattern. Its 'don't know' usage reflects a different approach to survey participation, potentially skewing results if not accounted for.

Our findings underscore the need for methodological caution when employing MTurk versus traditional polling platforms.