Evaluating the sensitive question methods; Recommended Uludag adjustment for the crosswise model

Abstract

Sensitive questions are frequently asked in medical, psychological, and sociological research. In the social science literature, it is widely accepted that when respondents are asked such questions, social desirability bias affects survey research. Different methods in the literature aimed to reduce measurement errors such as social desirability bias and increase the reliability of participants' answers. These methods address the problem to increase the effectiveness of predictions by using indirect questioning techniques. The sensitive question methods evaluated in this study are randomized response technique, grouped answer method, unmatched-count technique, and crosswise model. These methods were evaluated with a comprehensive simulation study. The performances of the methods were evaluated according to the sample size and the sensitive issue prevalence in the hypothetical population. In the second part, in order to reduce the small sample size and low prevalence effect of the crosswise model, the Uludag correction of the crosswise model was proposed in the study. As a result, the crosswise model performs quite well compared to the other methods. In the use of the crosswise model, it is recommended to use the Uludag correction of the model proposed in this study in cases where low prevalence and small samples are studied.