They call this technique the “Veiled Report” method. They used a novel research method that, in addition to the usual privacy and anonymity afforded by the best practice survey techniques, goes further and makes it virtually impossible to connect individual respondents with their answers to sensitive questions. Coffman of Ohio State University and Keith M. The study was conducted by economists Katherine B.
“We find substantial under-reporting of LGBT identity and behaviors as well as underreporting of anti-gay sentiment …even under anonymous and very private conditions,” the researchers wrote in a working paper just published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Do conventional public opinion surveys under-report the proportion of gays and lesbians in the population? And do they underestimate the share of Americans who hold anti-gay views?Ī team of researchers from Ohio State and Boston Universities say the answer to both questions is yes.
