Proven and New Survey Techniques to Obtain Sensitive Information from Consumers

Researchers often wish to complement observed choice data with survey information to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying attitudes, motivations, and mechanisms that drive consumption behavior. Surveys are fundamental to obtain information that is unavailable through objectively recorded official statistics or about behaviors that are hard to measure. However, consumers are increasingly reluctant to share information about themselves in surveys: frequent privacy violations and breaches have made them more circumspect. Furthermore, topics that were once nonsensitive have now become stigmatized or politicized. For instance, consumers might claim to make sustainable or “green” consumption choices due to social desirability (White, Habib, and Hardisty 2019). Due to these trends, obtaining accurate information about sensitive topics has become increasingly challenging to analysts.