Home / Glossary / Social Desirability Bias
Social Desirability Bias
Social desirability bias is the tendency of respondents to answer in ways they believe will be viewed favorably by others.
Particularly strong on sensitive topics: voting, charity, diet, exercise, drug use, DEI, ethics. Mitigation: anonymous surveys, indirect questioning, third-party administration, and randomized response techniques. Self-reported behavior on socially sensitive topics often overstates 'good' behavior by 10-30%.
Run a Social Desirability Bias survey free
SpaceForms includes pre-built templates with validated wording. Unlimited responses on the free tier — no credit card.
Start freeRelated terms
Response Bias
Response bias is any systematic tendency of respondents to answer questions inaccurately, either intentionally or unconsciously.
Anonymous Survey
An anonymous survey collects responses without any personally identifying information.
Acquiescence Bias
Acquiescence bias is the tendency of respondents to agree with statements regardless of their actual opinions.
Central Tendency Bias
Central tendency bias is the tendency of respondents to avoid extreme options on a rating scale, clustering toward the middle.
Leading Question
A leading question is one whose wording suggests a particular answer, biasing the respondent toward it.
Recall Bias
Recall bias is a systematic error caused by respondents inaccurately remembering past events, behaviors, or feelings — usually worsening with elapsed time.