Courtesy Bias

What is Courtesy Bias?

Courtesy bias is giving an overly favorable response to avoid offending or disappointing an interviewer, provider, or other person. It overlaps with social desirability bias but is not a synonym for every form of socially acceptable responding.

Courtesy bias in service surveys

Glick’s 2009 study in Madagascar compared clinic-exit and household responses to the same service-satisfaction questions. Exit responses showed substantial positive bias, although courtesy and other explanations, including changes in provider behavior, could not be fully separated.

Courtesy bias versus genuine satisfaction

A positive answer alone is not proof of courtesy bias. Interview location, timing, participants, and the question can all affect comparisons.

Reducing pressure to give a polite answer

Independent interviewing, privacy, and neutral questions can be useful design considerations. They do not guarantee truthful responses.

Service evaluations should examine whether the method makes criticism difficult and compare self-report with other relevant evidence.