Which bias can affect the integrity of survey results?

Social desirability bias is a phenomenon that occurs when respondents provide answers they believe to be more socially acceptable or favorable rather than their true opinions or experiences. This bias can significantly impact the validity of survey results because it may lead to an overestimation of positive behaviors and an underrepresentation of negative behaviors or beliefs. For example, in a survey about drug use or sexual behavior, individuals might choose to underreport their actual experiences because they perceive these topics as socially undesirable or stigmatized.

Selection bias and sampling bias are related but differ in the focus of their impact. Selection bias occurs when the sample does not accurately represent the population, while sampling bias deals specifically with the method of selecting participants that may lead to unrepresentative samples. Observer bias refers to the tendency for researchers' expectations to influence their observations or interpretations rather than the actual responses of survey participants. While these biases can also affect survey results, social desirability bias directly relates to how respondents answer questions based on perceived social norms.