Experiment Investigating the Effects of Requesting-vs--Not-RequestingDemographics in an Anonymous Army Survey on Sensitive Topics

摘要

The research sought evidence on the following hypothesis derived from previousresearch: Including standard military and social demographic items in an Army survey (a) increases respondents' concern about anonymity (proximal effect) and (b) leads respondents to respond to sensitive items in a more cautious and socially desirable manner (distal effect). Subjects were 100 enlisted soldiers E2-E4. The experimental manipulation was validated, and some proximal effects were demonstrated. The hypothesis concerning the distal effect, however, was only partly supported. Possible explanations for the results are discussed, along with suggestions for further research.