Response Bias

Response bias emerged as a recognized methodological concern in survey research and psychology during the mid-20th century, though researchers initially resisted acknowledging its severity. The field gained rigor in 1985 when Anton Nederhof compiled systematic techniques for mitigating social desirability bias, one prominent type. Response bias encompasses multiple phenomena—acquiescence bias, courtesy bias, and others—arising from question design, questionnaire structure, or administration methods.