Text vs Phone Survey Honesty

Survey researchers are always looking for ways to improve the accuracy of their studies. Anything can cause you to yield inaccurate results, including a poor sample, inadequate sample size, confusing questions, length of survey, and more. It’s also well known that human beings have a tendency to lie when presented with questions in a face-to-face setting.

It is the reason that restaurant servers that ask how the food tastes usually hear “it’s great!” even if it’s probably not great. No one wants to be honest when facing someone in person.

The issue is likely related to anonymity. Whether it’s embarrassment, pride, embellishment, or some other emotion, people do not like telling others directly the honest truth about their feelings, even if the answer is not necessarily reflective of the person’s character. One study reported findings that support this theory.

They compared two different methods of conducting surveys via mobile phone: Through a phone call/voice interview Through text message According to an article in Scientific American , the researchers initially believed that they would receive more honest and personal information through voice interviews. They predicted that because text messages are permanent, respondents would prefer to state private answers in phone calls, because after they share the answer it is gone forever, whereas text messages create a permanent record. They found that the opposite was true.

Respondents were far more likely to be honest when answering text surveys compared to voice surveys.

Now, even at first glance it’s easy to see why their original hypothesis was likely incorrect. One need only look at the way men and women communicate in relationships. Texting and emailing is seen as easier than phone calls (and in-person conversations) when talking about something difficult.

The reason is because the person: Has more time to think about what they want to say Doesn’t have to hear an emotional response or reaction If you had to tell an employee that you wanted to fire them and there were no ethical or legal issues at play, chances are you would prefer to do it via email than on the phone or in person. So it stands to reason that survey respondents feel the same way. Text, while “permanent,” does not subject the person to any type of feedback.

They do not have to worry about whether or not the person’s voice indicates disapproval. Even if you have a person’s name and number, texting still “feels” anonymous.

This is one of the main reasons that online survey software is considered a better option for running survey research. On the Internet (for better or worse), people are honest, because they aren’t worried that someone is going to judge them. They’re as anonymous as possible.

No one can see them, no one can interrupt them, and no one can feel as though someone is judging them. While voice interviews have their place, respondents are very likely to always prefer more anonymous survey response methods, where they don’t have to worry about what the reaction of someone else is going to be.