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Direct Questions Fall Short, But Indirect Techniques Offer Better Results
Insights from the Field
sensitive questions
list experiment
endorsement experiment
randomized response
Methodology
AJPS
Dataverse
An Empirical Validation Study of Popular Survey Methodologies for Sensitive Questions was authored by Bryn Rosenfeld, Kosuke Imai and Jacob Shapiro. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2016.

Studying sensitive issues like corruption or sexual behavior is tough. Direct survey questions often lead to underreporting or nonresponse.

This study validates three indirect methods: list experiment, endorsement experiment, and randomized response.

Methods Used:

  • Direct questioning (baseline)
  • List Experiment
  • Endorsement Experiment
  • Randomized Response Technique

📊 Key Findings:

  • Indirect techniques produced estimates closer to the official election outcome than direct questions.
  • Among indirect methods, endorsement experiment and randomized response had the least bias.

🔍 Why It Matters:

This validation provides empirical evidence supporting the use of indirect survey methods for sensitive political topics.

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American Journal of Political Science
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