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If the direct questioning in surveys on sensitive variables leads to non-ignorable nonresponse and untruthful answers, a considerably biased estimator might be the consequence. For such cases, the higher complexity of the indirect questioning designs such as the nonrandomized response models may pay off in terms of estimation accuracy assuming an increase in respondents’ cooperation. In this methodological article, two new nonrandomized response questioning designs are proposed that are simple to implement in several survey modes and easy to understand. These models, the double triangular model and the flat parallel model, are nonrandomized versions of two well-established and practically applied methods, the forced and the contamination method, to overcome the limitations of these randomized response techniques. Additionally, the theory of all nonrandomized response models is developed for general probability sampling under one theoretical roof. Moreover, all these models are compared from the point of view of their respective levels of privacy protection. The flat parallel model combines the advantages of the other models and can thus have a positive effect on both, cooperation willingness and estimation accuracy.

Increasing demand in surveys focused on quantitative characteristics (population mean among others) of controversial issues like corruption, tax evasion, drugs consumption of sensitive variables like spending on drugs or illegal sources of income which lead to lively research, are of randomized response techniques for quantitative variables. Therefore, we propose complex multicriteria evaluation methodology for randomized response techniques for population mean. Based on extensive review in the literature, following ranges of criteria were proposed: statistical properties of estimator, implementation and parameter choice, respondent burden and credibility and confidentiality protection of respondents’ data. Finally, we evaluate in this setting standard techniques using scramble variables and recently proposed techniques of dichotomous question.

Randomized response techniques (RRTs) are applied to reduce response biases in self-report surveys on sensitive research questions (e.g., on socially undesirable characteristics). However, there is evidence that they cannot completely eliminate self-protecting response strategies. To address this problem, there are RRTs specifically designed to measure the extent of such strategies. Here we assessed the recently devised unrelated question model—cheating extension (UQMC) in a preregistered online survey on intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and perpetration during the first contact restrictions as containment measures for the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Germany in early 2020. The UQMC accounting for self-protecting responses described the data better than its predecessor model which assumes instruction adherence. The resulting three-month prevalence estimates were about 10% and we found a high proportion of self-protecting responses in the group of female participants queried about IPV victimization. However, unexpected results concerning the differences in prevalence estimates across the groups queried about victimization and perpetration highlight the difficulty of investigating sensitive research questions even using methods that guarantee anonymity and the importance of interpreting the respective estimates with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, efficient Bayes estimators of sensitive proportion are proposed. It is documented that indirect reports increase variances of the estimates. To counteract this increase in variances we divided the total sample size, n = n1+n2, such that n1 individuals record direct responses and n2 individuals record indirect responses. The decision that a group of individuals should report indirect or direct responses would be based on distinct known factors. Bayes estimates and subsequent posterior risks are calculated taking into account different prior distributions, loss functions and a generalized randomized response technique. The impact of design parameters and the number of responses obtained using direct and indirect questioning techniques on the relative efficiencies are investigated. Graphical and numerical results indicate that the proposed estimators are better than the existing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing demand in surveys focused on quantitative characteristics (population mean among others) of controversial issues like corruption, tax evasion, drugs consumption of sensitive variables like spending on drugs or illegal sources of income which lead to lively research, are of randomized response techniques for quantitative variables. Therefore, we propose complex multicriteria evaluation methodology for randomized response techniques for population mean. Based on extensive review in the literature, following ranges of criteria were proposed: statistical properties of estimator, implementation and parameter choice, respondent burden and credibility and confidentiality protection of respondents' data. Finally, we evaluate in this setting standard techniques using scramble variables and recently proposed techniques of dichotomous question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antoch, Mola and Vozár (2022) proposed recently new randomized response technique for population mean or total of a quantitative variable. The aim of the paper is to solve the open problem to derive unbiased variance estimator of these procedures. In their proposal, unlike other randomized response techniques for population mean or total the randomized response is not a linear function of a sensitive variable. However, standard techniques to derive variance estimators in this setting are based on this assumption. That is why an interviewer needs also to know values pseudorandom numbers (i.e., results of individual randomization experiments). Respondents might perceive this relaxation of privacy protection negative. The performance of the approximate two-sided confidence intervals of distributions with different shape including their coverage is assessed by a simulation study for simple random sampling without replacement.

A new randomized response technique for estimating the population total, or the population mean of a quantitative variable is proposed. It provides a high degree of protection to the respondents because they never report their data. Therefore, it may be favorably perceived by them and increase their willingness to cooperate. Instead of revealing the true value of the characteristic under investigation, the respondent only states whether the value is greater (or smaller) than a number which is selected by him/her at random and is unknown to the interviewer. For each respondent, this number, a sort of individual threshold, is generated as a pseudorandom number. Furthermore, two modifications of the proposed technique are presented. The first modification assumes that the interviewer also knows the generated random number. The second modification deals with the issue that, for certain variables, such as income, it may be embarrassing for the respondents to report either high or low values. Thus, depending on the value of the fixed threshold (unknown to the respondent), the respondent is asked different questions to avoid being embarrassed. The suggested approach is applied in detail to the simple random sampling without replacement, but it can be, after a straightforward modification, applied to many sampling schemes, including cluster sampling, two-stage sampling, or stratified sampling. The results of the simulations illustrate the behavior of the proposed technique.

This applied in both countries and for all SQTs, except the bean method, suggesting that, except for the bean method, SQTs outperformed direct questions when a socially undesirable response was required (Appendix S3). Keywords: bean method; bias; crosswise model; direct questions; randomized response techniques; rule breaking; sensitivity; unmatched count technique; método bean; modelo transversal; preguntas directas; rompimiento de reglas; sensibilidad; sesgo; técnica de conteo sin par; técnicas de respuesta aleatoria; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; EN bean method bias crosswise model direct questions randomized response techniques rule breaking sensitivity unmatched count technique método bean modelo transversal preguntas directas rompimiento de reglas sensibilidad sesgo técnica de conteo sin par técnicas de respuesta aleatoria 1 15 15 10/04/22 20221001 NES 221001 INTRODUCTION Theories, frameworks, and tools from the social sciences are increasingly integrated into conservation research and practice (Bennett et al., 2017). Developed by social scientists to overcome these biases, specialized questioning techniques (SQTs) are being increasingly applied in conservation to investigate illegal behaviors (Hinsley et al., 2018; Ibbett et al., 2021). One might thus infer that UCT is superior to other SQTs tested; however, pairwise comparisons showed that UCT was not better understood than other SQTs (excluding crosswise model). [Extracted from the article]

A new randomized response technique for estimating the population total, or the population mean of a quantitative variable is proposed. It provides a high degree of protection to the respondents because they never report their data. Therefore, it may be favorably perceived by them and increase their willingness to cooperate. Instead of revealing the true value of the characteristic under investigation, the respondent only states whether the value is greater (or smaller) than a number which is selected by him/her at random and is unknown to the interviewer. For each respondent, this number, a sort of individual threshold, is generated as a pseudorandom number. Furthermore, two modifications of the proposed technique are presented. The first modification assumes that the interviewer also knows the generated random number. The second modification deals with the issue that, for certain variables, such as income, it may be embarrassing for the respondents to report either high or low values. Thus, depending on the value of the fixed threshold (unknown to the respondent), the respondent is asked different questions to avoid being embarrassed. The suggested approach is applied in detail to the simple random sampling without replacement, but it can be, after a straightforward modification, applied to many sampling schemes, including cluster sampling, two-stage sampling, or stratified sampling. The results of the simulations illustrate the behavior of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Randomized response is an interviewing technique designed to protect an interviewee's privacy and reduce a major source of bias (evasive answers or refusing to respond) when estimating the prevalence of sensitive characteristics using surveys of human populations. The objective of this study is to introduce a new method in the field of randomized response sampling that can be used to track the addictions of people to various substances. It has been suggested that students who use the smart drug "modafinil" are potentially putting their health at risk. We also discuss studies of similar addictions, based on the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a new methodology that indicates that the use of correlated scrambling variables in the randomized response technique may play an important role in increasing the efficiency of an estimator of the population mean of a sensitive variable. Although it is clear analytically that the proposed estimator is more efficient than its existing competitors, we have investigated the magnitude of the gain in efficiency through simulation studies that involve both real secondary data from the health sciences, as well as artificial data. We also derive an estimator of the variance of the proposed estimator of mean and we study the coverage of 95% confidence intervals based on this variance estimator. An application using real primary data on smoking by university students is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by recent failures of polling to estimate populist party support, we propose and analyze 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the efficacy of the randomized response technique (RRT) in achieving honest self-reporting about sexual behavior, compared with traditional survey techniques. A complex survey was conducted of 1,246 university students in Spain, who were asked sensitive quantitative questions about their sexual behavior, either via the RRT (n = 754) or by direct questioning (DQ) (n = 492). The RRT estimates of the number of times that the students were unable to restrain their inappropriate sexual behavior were significantly higher than the DQ estimates, among both male and female students. The results obtained suggest that the RRT method elicits higher values of self-stigmatizing reports of sexual experiences by increasing privacy in the data collection process. The RRT is shown to be a useful method for investigating sexual behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we proposed an efficient estimator for estimating population proportion of individuals possessing sensitive attribute in a finite dichotomous population. We used the Hermite distribution to randomize the responses in the randomization design of Kuk [1]. The relative efficiency results depicted that the proposed technique is relatively better than those of Kuk [1], Singh and Grewal [2] and Hussain et al. [3] and Hussain et al. [4].

Randomized response (RR) techniques are widely used in research involving sensitive variables, such as drugs, violence or crime, especially when a population mean or prevalence must be estimated. However, they are not generally applied to examine relationships between a sensitive variable and other characteristics. This type of technique was initially applied to qualitative variables, and studies later showed that a logistic regression may be performed with RR data. Since many of the variables considered in this context are quantitative, RR techniques were extended to these cases to estimate the values required. Regression analysis is a valuable statistical tool for exploring relationships among variables and for establishing associations between responses and covariates. In this article, we propose a design-based regression analysis for complex sample designs based on the unified RR approach. We present estimators of the regression coefficients, study their theoretical properties and consider different ways to estimate their variance. The properties of these estimation techniques were simulated using various quantitative randomized models. The method proposed was also used to analyse the findings from a real-world survey.

Background: Validity of responses in surveys is an important research concern, especially in emerging market economies where surveys in the general population are a novelty, and the level of social control is traditionally higher. The Randomized Response Technique (RRT) can be used as a check on response validity when the study aim is to estimate population prevalence of drug experiences and other socially sensitive and/or illegal behaviors.Aim: To apply RRT and to study potential under-reporting of drug use in a nation-scale, population-based general population survey of alcohol and other drug use.Methods: For this first-ever household survey on addictive substances for the Country of Georgia, we used the multi-stage probability sampling of 18-to-64-year-old household residents of 111 urban and 49 rural areas. During the interviewer-administered assessments, RRT involved pairing of sensitive and non-sensitive questions about drug experiences.Results: Based upon the standard household self-report survey estimate, an estimated 17.3% [95% confidence interval, CI: 15.5%, 19.1%] of Georgian household residents have tried cannabis. The corresponding RRT estimate was 29.9% [95% CI: 24.9%, 34.9%]. The RRT estimates for other drugs such as heroin also were larger than the standard self-report estimates.Discussion and Conclusions: We remain unsure about what is the "true" value for prevalence of using illegal psychotropic drugs in the Republic of Georgia study population. Our RRT results suggest that standard non-RRT approaches might produce 'under-estimates' or at best, highly conservative, lower-end estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in developed countries, and has a significant impact on mental and physical health in the general population. Although the evaluation of levels of substance use is difficult, a method such as the randomized response technique (RRT), which includes both a personal component and an assurance of confidentiality, provides a combination which can achieve a considerable degree of accuracy. Various RRT surveys have been conducted to measure the prevalence of drug use, but to date no studies have been made of the effectiveness of this approach in surveys with respect to quantitative variables related to drug use. This paper describes a probabilistic, stratified sample of 1146 university students asking sensitive quantitative questions about cannabis use in Spanish universities, conducted using the RRT. On comparing the results of the direct question (DQ) survey and those of the randomized response (RR) survey, we find that the number of cannabis cigarettes consumed during the past year (DQ = 3, RR = 17 approximately), and the number of days when consumption took place (DQ = 1, RR = 7) are much higher with RRT. The advantages of RRT, reported previously and corroborated in our study, make it a useful method for investigating cannabis use. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-phase optional randomized response (TORR) technique has been proposed. The proposed randomized response (RR) performs much better in general than the existing RR techniques. Theoretical and numerical illustrations identified conditions of superiority of the proposed TORR over the existing comparable optional randomized response (ORR) techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an attempt to generalize some of the recent papers on randomized response techniques by using the negative binomial distribution of order k to randomize the responses in the randomization design where respondents can report outcome of one of two binary devices depending upon their actual status. The relative efficiency results are observed to be better than those of many recent and relevant randomized response techniques. The results are also better than those of the base line model used in this study, providing the sensitive attribute is rare. An extra advantage of the proposed technique is that it does not require any additional sampling and administrative cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The randomized response technique (RRT) is an important tool, commonly used to avoid biased answers in survey on sensitive issues by preserving the respondents’ privacy. In this paper, we introduce a data collection method for survey on sensitive issues combining both the unrelated-question RRT and the direct question design. The direct questioning method is utilized to obtain responses to a non sensitive question that is related to the innocuous question from the unrelated-question RRT. These responses serve as additional information that can be used to improve the estimation of the prevalence of the sensitive behavior. Furthermore, we propose two new methods for the estimation of the proportion of respondents possessing the sensitive attribute under a missing data setup. More specifically, we develop the weighted estimator and the weighted conditional likelihood estimator. The performances of our estimators are studied numerically and compared with that of an existing one. Both proposed estimators are more efficient than the Greenberg's estimator. We illustrate our methods using real data from a survey study on illegal use of cable TV service in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the improvement of a well-celebrated randomized response technique of Kuk. A generalized randomized response technique is suggested. In particular, the generalized geometric distribution of orderkis introduced as a randomization device for estimating the population proportion of a rare sensitive attribute. The proposed randomized response technique includes Singh and Grewal and Hussain et al. techniques as its special cases. Through numerical illustrations, it is established that the suggested technique is superior to the Kuk, Singh and Grewal, and Hussain et al. techniques. Flexibility of the proposed technique is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is a resume of salient aspects of Warner's pioneering work on randomized response techniques and related work over the fifty years since its inception, subject to the author's interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation the problem of estimating the mean of quantitative sensitive variable has been considered. Two different alternative estimators have been suggested when data are obtained through Bar-Lev et al. (2004) randomized response model. The comparison study of the proposed estimators with respect to the Bar-Lev et al. (2004) estimator is carried out. The relative dominance picture is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the problem of estimating the proportion π of people bearing a sensitive attribute A is considered. Three dichotomous unrelated question mechanisms which are alternative to the well-known Simmons' model are discussed and their performance is evaluated taking into account both efficiency and respondent privacy protection. The variance of the estimators of π is compared under equal levels of confidentiality measures introduced by Lanke () and Leysieffer and Warner (). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With an increased percentage of the population using the Internet, the Web is the most popular medium to collect and disseminate information. Web surveys are widely used instead of paper-and-pencil (print) surveys to measure employee motivation, program effectiveness and staff performance. However, few researchers worry that the same questions posed on the Web and in print can yield very different answers. The purpose of this study was to determine if participants would respond differently to a gradient of questions, when the survey method was modified and complete anonymity was available for each group. Finally, implications and possible issues of Web surveys were also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Randomized response (RR) techniques are widely used in research involving sensitive variables, such as drugs, violence or crime, especially when a population mean or prevalence must be estimated. However, they are not generally applied to examine relationships between a sensitive variable and other characteristics. This type of technique was initially applied to qualitative variables, and studies later showed that a logistic regression may be performed with RR data. Since many of the variables considered in this context are quantitative, RR techniques were extended to these cases to estimate the values required. Regression analysis is a valuable statistical tool for exploring relationships among variables and for establishing associations between responses and covariates. In this article, we propose a design-based regression analysis for complex sample designs based on the unified RR approach. We present estimators of the regression coefficients, study their theoretical properties and consider different ways to estimate their variance. The properties of these estimation techniques were simulated using various quantitative randomized models. The method proposed was also used to analyse the findings from a real-world survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the efficacy of the randomized response technique (RRT) in achieving honest self-reporting about sexual behavior, compared with traditional survey techniques. A complex survey was conducted of 1,246 university students in Spain, who were asked sensitive quantitative questions about their sexual behavior, either via the RRT ( n = 754) or by direct questioning (DQ) ( n = 492). The RRT estimates of the number of times that the students were unable to restrain their inappropriate sexual behavior were significantly higher than the DQ estimates, among both male and female students. The results obtained suggest that the RRT method elicits higher values of self-stigmatizing reports of sexual experiences by increasing privacy in the data collection process. The RRT is shown to be a useful method for investigating sexual behavior.