Acquiescence Bias
Updated 2026-08-02
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Acquiescence bias, also called yea-saying, is the tendency of respondents to agree with survey statements irrespective of their content. It arises from politeness, low engagement, deference to the questioner, or ambiguous wording, and it inflates apparent agreement with whatever is asked. The bias is measured by including reverse-worded items and checking whether responses are consistent rather than uniformly positive. Key qualification: the bias varies across cultures and question formats, and it is strongest for items that require little thought or where disagreement feels socially risky.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Ask in reverse: include negatively worded items to test whether agreement is genuine or habitual. - Read the pattern: treat uniformly positive answers as a signal of disengagement rather than consensus. - Force thought: use open questions or forced choices that require the respondent to take a position.
Anchor fast decisions
Agreeing is cognitively cheaper and socially safer than disagreeing, so respondents who are disengaged, deferential, or unsure default to assent. That default produces agreement that reflects the response situation rather than the respondent's actual view. Because the tendency operates regardless of content, it inflates scores on every positively worded item at once.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquiescence_biasverified
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