Theme：Designing Randomized Response Surveys to Support Honest Answers to Stigmatizing Questions

Lecturer：James Fisher，School of Economics, Henan University

Time：2022.2.14 14:30

Site：EMS B249

Abstract：

Randomized response survey methods use noise to mask respondents’ answers to stigmatizing questions. Respondents weigh the preference for honesty against the disutility of stigmatization when deciding how to answer. Since the disutility of stigmatization depends on the degree of noise, the interviewer designs the survey to balance two goals: (i) honest reporting by respondents and (ii) maximization of the accuracy of estimates based on the survey. We fully characterize the non-linear set of design parameter that lead to truth-telling, as well as the interviewer’s equilibrium survey design.

Introduction to the lecturer：

Dr. James Fisher is an Associate Professor at Henan University's School of Economics. His research interests lies at the broad intersection of behavioral economics, information, and strategic interaction. He explores these themes through applied game theory and economics experiments.