American Politics & Public Policy Workshop: Yanna Krupnikov (Stony Brook), “Can Transparency Harm Survey Research?”

“Can Transparency Harm Survey Research?”

Yanna Krupnikov, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Stony Brook University

Abstract: Political science is currently undergoing a shift toward greater data and research transparency. This shift is best exemplified by the DA-RT statement, which requires all scholars to make their data public upon publication of research. While many argue that programs such as DA-RT can only benefit the discipline, some argue that making data public can harm the quality of human subject data. Research participants, these critics argue, must be fully informed about data use and they will be less likely to give true responses to questions if they know their (fully anonymous) responses will be made public. The relationship between informed consent, data transparency and data quality is an empirical question. In this project we track whether study participants are actually concerned about the future use of “their” data. Moreover, we demonstrate that biases can develop, but only for the most sensitive questions. Finally, we investigate approaches to mitigate any possible biases while still maintaining data transparency.

Yanna Krupnikov is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University. Her work focuses on political behavior and political communication. Her research has been published in a number of journals, and her book, Independent Politics: How American Disdain for Parties Leads to Political Inaction (co-authored with Samara Klar), is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

Sponsored jointly by ISPS and CSAP.