Respondent Bias

Respondent bias happens when a person giving information, like in a survey or interview, answers in a way that doesn’t accurately reflect their true feelings, thoughts, or experiences. This can occur intentionally, for example, when someone wants to give socially acceptable answers, or unintentionally, due to misunderstanding questions or memory errors. As a result, the data collected may be skewed, leading to inaccurate conclusions. Recognizing respondent bias is important for researchers to interpret results correctly and improve the way questions are designed to get more honest and reliable responses.