How to ask sensitive multiple choice questions

TL;DR

This paper introduces two novel, privacy-preserving methods for asking sensitive multiple choice questions in surveys, aiming to improve truthful responses and address polling inaccuracies.

Contribution

It proposes two new survey techniques that protect respondent privacy, are easy to understand, and scalable, enhancing the accuracy of sensitive question responses.

Findings

Methods increase truthful responses in sensitive surveys

Techniques are simple to implement and explain

Potential to improve polling accuracy for sensitive topics

Abstract

Motivated by recent failures of polling to estimate populist party support, we propose and analyse two methods for asking sensitive multiple choice questions where the respondent retains some privacy and therefore might answer more truthfully. The first method consists of asking for the true choice along with a choice picked at random. The other method presents a list of choices and asks whether the preferred one is on the list or not. Different respondents are shown different lists. The methods are easy to explain, which makes it likely that the respondent understands how her privacy is protected and may thus entice her to participate in the survey and answer truthfully. The methods are also easy to implement and scale up.