The impact of the presence of others on a respondent’s answers to questions

In order to insure privacy and reduce social desirability effects survey organizations usually instruct interviewers to try to interview respondents alone (Bradburn and Sudman, 1979). For example, the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) indicates the following: The Need for Privacy. Social science research seeks accurate and complete answers to questions that sometimes are of a sensitive nature. A quiet area in which to conduct the interview is crucial. The presence of others may bias the answers. This sometimes requires tact and ingenuity to avoid an audience. The interviewer must inform the respondent that it is necessary to conduct the interview in private, in order to protect his/her confidentiality. Under idealcircumstances, the interview is conducted in a private room equipped with goo