This type of bias is common in surveys, where the individual’s answer tends to be inaccurate or non-representative of the population. It can significantly impact the research; we will see some common types here.
Voluntary response bias
The people who responded to the survey differed from the general population due to their personal experience. A typical example is the star rating, in which people with extreme experiences, either highly satisfied or highly unsatisfied, tend to respond more often than those with average experience.
Social response bias
Also known as the social desirability bias, this bias occurs when individuals choose to respond in a way that makes them look good in front of others. In the end, good behaviour is overreported, and bad behaviour is underreported.
Non-response bias
Suppose the people who participate in the survey are systematically different from those who don’t. A telephonic survey, say via land phone, is an example that collects only the people available at home during the calling hours.
