![](https://i.imgur.com/CLvY2jA.png")
24-12-2024, 03:36 PM
The provided survey questions exhibit potential for several types of bias:
- Leading Questions: The phrasing of the questions might subtly influence responses. For example, "The Government Cares for Singaporeans" presupposes that the government does care, potentially prompting respondents to agree even if they hold a more nuanced view. Similarly, "I am confident in the leadership of the 4G Government" is leading because it directly asks about confidence, rather than exploring underlying reasons for or against confidence.
- Acquiescence Bias (Yea-Saying): Respondents may tend to agree with statements regardless of their actual beliefs, especially if they want to please the surveyor or avoid conflict. The structure of the questions, using a Likert scale from "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree," makes this bias more likely.
- Social Desirability Bias: Respondents might answer in ways they believe are socially acceptable, even if it doesn't reflect their true opinions. Questions about government performance are particularly susceptible to this, as people may hesitate to express negative views publicly.
- Sampling Bias: The survey mentions that only 1200 eligible respondents will receive a reward. This selection process might not accurately reflect the opinions of the entire population of Singaporeans. The selection method needs to be carefully examined to assess the representativeness of the sample. If the selection is not truly random, then the results will be skewed.
To mitigate these biases, the survey design could be improved by:
- Neutral Question Phrasing: Rephrasing questions to be more neutral and objective. For example, instead of "The Government Cares for Singaporeans," a better question might be "What is your opinion on the government's care for Singaporeans?" This allows for a wider range of responses.
- Balanced Response Options: While a Likert scale is common, it's important to ensure the scale is balanced and includes options that represent a full range of opinions.
- Open-Ended Questions: Including open-ended questions would allow respondents to elaborate on their answers and provide more detailed feedback, reducing the influence of leading questions and response biases.
- Random Sampling: Ensuring a truly random sample of the population will help to reduce sampling bias. More information is needed about the sampling methodology to determine if this bias is present.
- Leading Questions: The phrasing of the questions might subtly influence responses. For example, "The Government Cares for Singaporeans" presupposes that the government does care, potentially prompting respondents to agree even if they hold a more nuanced view. Similarly, "I am confident in the leadership of the 4G Government" is leading because it directly asks about confidence, rather than exploring underlying reasons for or against confidence.
- Acquiescence Bias (Yea-Saying): Respondents may tend to agree with statements regardless of their actual beliefs, especially if they want to please the surveyor or avoid conflict. The structure of the questions, using a Likert scale from "Strongly Agree" to "Strongly Disagree," makes this bias more likely.
- Social Desirability Bias: Respondents might answer in ways they believe are socially acceptable, even if it doesn't reflect their true opinions. Questions about government performance are particularly susceptible to this, as people may hesitate to express negative views publicly.
- Sampling Bias: The survey mentions that only 1200 eligible respondents will receive a reward. This selection process might not accurately reflect the opinions of the entire population of Singaporeans. The selection method needs to be carefully examined to assess the representativeness of the sample. If the selection is not truly random, then the results will be skewed.
To mitigate these biases, the survey design could be improved by:
- Neutral Question Phrasing: Rephrasing questions to be more neutral and objective. For example, instead of "The Government Cares for Singaporeans," a better question might be "What is your opinion on the government's care for Singaporeans?" This allows for a wider range of responses.
- Balanced Response Options: While a Likert scale is common, it's important to ensure the scale is balanced and includes options that represent a full range of opinions.
- Open-Ended Questions: Including open-ended questions would allow respondents to elaborate on their answers and provide more detailed feedback, reducing the influence of leading questions and response biases.
- Random Sampling: Ensuring a truly random sample of the population will help to reduce sampling bias. More information is needed about the sampling methodology to determine if this bias is present.
