When to Protect? Using the Crosswise Model to Integrate Protected and Direct Responses in Surveys of Sensitive Behavior

Sensitive survey techniques (SSTs) are frequently used to study sensitive behaviors. However, existing strategies for employing SSTs lead to highly variable prevalence estimates and do not permit analysts to address the question of whether the use of an SST is actually necessary. The current paper presents a survey questioning strategy and corresponding statistical framework that fills this gap. By jointly analyzing survey responses generated by an SST (the crosswise model) along with direct responses about the sensitive behavior, the paper's framework addresses the question of whether the use of a SST is required to study a given sensitive behavior, provides an efficient estimate of the prevalence of the sensitive behavior, and, in its extended form, efficiently estimates how individual characteristics relate to the likelihood of engaging in the behavior. The utility of the approach is demonstrated through an examination of gender differences in proclivities towards corruption in Costa Rica.敏感调查技术（Sensitive Survey Techniques，SSTs）广泛应用于敏感行为研究领域。然而，现有采用SSTs的策略所得到的敏感行为发生率估算结果差异极大，且无法让分析师解答“实际是否有必要使用敏感调查技术”这一核心问题。本论文提出了一种调查提问策略与对应的统计框架，填补了这一研究空白。通过联合分析由SST中的交叉模型（Crosswise Model）生成的调查应答数据与针对敏感行为的直接应答数据，该框架不仅能够解答“研究特定敏感行为是否需要使用SST”这一问题，还可以有效估算该敏感行为的发生比例；经拓展后，该框架还能进一步有效分析个体特征与参与该行为的可能性之间的关联关系。本研究通过分析哥斯达黎加地区民众的腐败倾向性别差异，验证了该方法的实用性。