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Sensitive Questions, Truthful Answers? Modeling the List Experiment Multivariately With LISTIT Corstange, Daniel Uploaded 08-03-2006 Keywords list experiment survey sensitive questions listit Abstract Standard estimation procedures assume that empirical observations are accurate reflections of the true values of the dependent variable, but this assumption is dubious when model self-reported data on sensitive topics. List experiments can nullify incentives for respondents to lie to interviewers, but current data analysis techniques are limited to difference-in-means tests. I present a revised procedure and statistical estimator called listit to model the process multivariately. Monte Carlo simulations and a field test in Lebanon explore the behavior of this estimator.

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Paper

What Can We Learn with Statistical Truth Serum? Design and Analysis of the List Experiment Glynn, Adam Uploaded 07-23-2010 Keywords social desirability indirect questions list experiment item count technique privacy protection survey experiment Abstract Due to the inherent sensitivity of many survey questions, a number of researchers have adopted an indirect questioning technique known as the list experiment (or the item count technique) in order to minimize bias due to dishonest or evasive responses. However, standard practice with the list experiment requires a large sample size, is not readily adaptable to regression or multivariate modeling, and provides only limited diagnostics. This paper addresses all three of these issues. First, the paper presents design principles for the standard list experiment (and the double list experiment) to minimize bias and reduce variance as well as providing sample size formulas for the planning of studies. Additionally, this paper investigates the properties of a number of estimators and introduces an easy-to-use piecewise estimator that reduces necessary sample sizes in many cases. Second, this paper proves that standard-procedure list experiment data can be used to estimate the probability that an individual holds the socially undesirable opinion/behavior. This allows multivariate modeling. Third, this paper demonstrates that some violations of the behavioral assumptions implicit in the technique can be diagnosed with the list experiment data. The techniques in this paper are illustrated with examples from American politics.