Sozial erwünschte Antworten bei Befragungen von Anspruchsgruppen durch öffentliche Organisationen: Eine Analyse der Effekte der öffentlichen Studienträgerschaft, des Befragungsmodus und der sozialen Erwünschtheitswahrnehmung

This paper examines the inclination towards socially desirable responses in stakeholder surveys by public organizations. The study is based on data from a preliminary investigation of the Nature awareness study 2017 carried out on behalf of the Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (N = 219). Within the framework of a 2×2 experimental design, the influence of the variables “survey mode” (anonymous/ self-administered vs. non-anonymous/ interviewer-administered) and “public study sponsorship” (named vs. not named) is examined for the response behavior of the study’s participants. As a further explanatory variable “social desirability perception” (trait desirability) is considered. By taking into account the perception of social desirability, initially contradictory findings on the effect of the survey mode or the public sponsorship become clearer. Based on the empirical findings, practical implications for the implementation of stakeholder surveys by public organizations as well as starting points for future research are depicted.