We don’t expect everybody to tell the truth when filling survey forms, do we? Most individuals lie on surveys for a variety of reasons, leading some to believe that surveys aren’t reliable, but there are techniques to get people to speak the truth on surveys. Here are a few ways:
1. Stress the significance of the study: Most people do not give honest responses on surveys is that they do not completely understand the importance of participating in that particular research or what it will accomplish. So, to convince individuals to respond honestly, you must emphasize the importance of the survey and how they are going to benefit from it. For instance, if you are conducting a survey on the science laboratory in a university, ensure you let the students be aware that honestly participating in that survey will improve the standard of the science laboratory.
2. Create anonymous surveys: When respondents are asked to fill out surveys anonymously, they are more likely to give honest answers since they are not compelled to fill in their names or other personal information that could identify them. When people discover that some type of anonymity exists, it becomes simpler for them to share their true views, opinions, and sentiments on any subject.
3. Avoid providing incentives: While incentives may improve the likelihood of survey responses, they can also encourage people to lie because most people will want to fill out the survey form without regard for their genuine feelings. They are just concerned about the incentive, as a result, it is sometimes best not to offer incentives at all. In other circumstances, you will need to think carefully about which type to employ, when to lower them, and how they will benefit your survey.:
4. Make excuses a part of the selection choices: It may be vital to include excuses in your surveys since people may be ashamed to give an honest answer if you ask them if they do something or not. For instance, if you are researching students cheating in a test, you might want to include options such as “I only cheat for impromptu tests”, “I still cheat sometimes” or “I used to cheat but not anymore”. People will offer more truthful responses if justifications for doing or not doing something are included.
5. Take note of sensitive topics: Be careful of some sensitive subjects. Most people tend to lie when questions relating to their beliefs or behavior arise. Sometimes, it could be a topic on some illicit habits that they might not be entirely truthful about. So, if these themes must be utilized in a survey, attempt to reconsider them and know how to format them wisely.
6. Asking leading questions is a bad idea: Leading questions are questions that are phrased in such a way that they compel a person to reply in a certain way. When used in surveys, they rarely produce the respondent’s real opinions, but rather a more biased response. Instead of asking questions like “How much did you appreciate ordering online?” when conducting a product survey, ask “Do you enjoy buying things directly from our physical shop or ordering online?” The first is a leading question that leads to a biased response, especially if the respondent does not love ordering online, but the latter question allows the respondent to be more honest about whatever manner of service he or she prefers.
