Rational brain · Judgment & Decision Science
Social Desirability Bias
People answer surveys and questions to look good — to others and to themselves — so what customers, employees and counterparts say they will do is systematically better than what they do.
An everyday example
Ninety percent say they would pay more for sustainability; eight percent do.
What it can cost you
Building on stated preferences; being told what you want to hear.
Warning signs
- Everyone says yes in the survey.
- The behaviour does not match the answers.
One thing to do
Weight revealed behaviour over stated intention; ask what people did last time, never what they would do.
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