AN EMPIRICAL-ASSESSMENT OF THE RANDOM RESPONSE METHOD OF SENSITIVE DATA-COLLECTION

The random response method for investigating sensitive aspects of one's personal history was assessed by administering a written questionnaire to 285 undergraduate students. It was hypothesized that, in accord with previous findings, the protection of privacy afforded by randomization would yield more revelations in response to sensitive questions than would direct questioning. Members of the direct questioning group simply responded, while those in the random responding group rolled a die before answering each question to determine if a truthful response should be given. Overall, the results failed to show consistent differences between estimated population proportions obtained using the two methods of eliciting sensitive information. If sufficient care is paid to guaranteeing anonymity, straightforward questioning appears to be as effective for sensitive issues as it is for neutral ones.