Welcome to our new series on different types of data biases, where we’ll be breaking down the different ways data skews in traditional market research; specifically, how they can corrupt the data you base your biggest decisions on.
Social desirability bias is one of the most common ways that your market research data can become flawed, and it’s one of the trickiest to spot and prevent.
So what exactly is social desirability bias?
Social desirability bias is what causes individuals (and in this context, survey respondents) to answer questions in ways they believe will be viewed favorably by researchers, others, or even themselves, rather than giving wholly truthful answers.
This quirk, whether conscious or unconscious, is magnified by the very nature of surveys, which aim to collect honest answers that researchers and brands then use to make big decisions. But surveys are not where audiences live; they’re not the norm. They’re controlled environments and lack the nuance of day-to-day reality. When respondents see their answers reflected back to them in a survey, the pressure to be socially “desirable” mounts in a way that it doesn’t in the real world.
When under the pressure of taking a survey, respondents are more likely say they exercise regularly, eat healthily, recycle, floss, or buy ethical or sustainable products more than they actually do.
While it can be an effective strategy to market towards your audience’s aspirations, this manifestation of social desirability bias could cause teams to massively overestimate demand, which can be an expensive mistake.
This can be especially prominent for brands looking to size the market for premium, organic, or healthy lifestyle-type products and services.
Conversely, survey respondents are less likely to report honestly about embarrassing and irresponsible shopping habits, indulgences, or price-sensitive behavior.
For example, a potential customer might say that they don’t always buy the cheapest option of toilet paper available, but in reality, they do. This might not only cause brands to overestimate demand, but to totally misunderstand their customer on the whole as being not as price driven as they actually are.
When presented with socially conscious or innovative product ideas, respondents may express a false enthusiasm for something like a more sustainable packaging redesign, a wellness product, or the like, without having real interest or intent to buy.
The consequences of this can lead to failed launches, or trouble converting interest to actual sales.
Questions about income, spending habits, or any purchase that could be considered “politically charged”, like ones about buying from brands that have a controversial reputation, are especially likely to yield skewed data.
Respondents tend to respond based on what they believe aligns value-wise with their demographic, leading you to false conclusions around what segments of your audience resonate with what you’re offering.
The consequences of social desirability bias are many, but the main reasons to watch out for it are to avoid inflating your market size, inaccurate segmentation, and product development driven purely by aspirational consumer personas; not real behavior.
That's the beauty of testing in the wild; social desirability bias dissolves when it feels like nobody is watching. It also yields richer, more nuanced data points based on real-life behavior and real-world interests and values, because you’re not selling to your customers in a vacuum.