Estimating Induced Abortion and Foreign Irregular Presence Using the Randomized Response Crossed Model

Abstract

We present the theoretical framework and the results of a pilot survey conducted in Calabria, a region in the south of Italy, to investigate the prevalence of two sensitive characteristics, namely induced abortion among foreign women residing in this region, and irregular immigrant status. Collecting data on these two attributes by means of traditional survey modes typically produces underestimates of the diffusion of the phenomena due to the stigmatizing nature of the investigated topics. In order to overcome this problem, we employ an alternative data collection method known as the Randomized\ud Response Technique. In particular, we focus on the implementation of the crossed model recently proposed by Lee et al. (Stat Probab Lett 83:399–409, 2013) to estimate two sensitive characteristics and some related measures of association

Measuring Inappropriate Sexual Behavior Among University Students: Using the Randomized Response Technique to Enhance Self-Reporting

“…Tourangeau and Yan (2007) suggested that misreporting about sensitive topics is common and largely situational, its extent depending on whether the respondent has anything embarrassing to report, and on the design features of the survey. The RRT is designed to decrease social desirability bias and thus obtain more reliable estimates (Arnab & Singh, 2010; De Jong et al, 2012; Geng et al, 2016; Krebs et al, 2011; Lara et al, 2006; Miner, 2008; Oliveras & Letamo, 2010; Perri et al, 2015; Shamsipour et al, 2014; Simon et al, 2006; Striegel et al, 2010). Our results are consistent with those obtained by De Jong et al (2012), who compared nonstudent samples from two countries on permissive sexual attitudes and risky sexual behavior, using a RRT, and highlighted the advantages of using RRT in sensitive issues like sexual behavior, where it can be very difficult to obtain accurate responses.…”

“…Warner’s study generated a large body of research literature on alternative RRTs for eliciting sensitive information (Arnab, 2002, 2004; Bouza, 2009; Clark & Desharnais, 1998; Diana & Perri, 2010, 2012; Santiago, Bouza, & Al-Omari, 2016; Singh & Sedory, 2011; Ulrich, Schröter, Striegel, & Simon, 2012) in studies of socially undesirable behavior. The potential generalization of the technique to other cultures has been demonstrated by studies related to China (Geng, Gao, Ruan, Yu, & Zhou, 2016), Iran (Vakilian, Mousavi, & Keramat, 2014), the United States (Walsh & Braithwaite, 2008), Europe (Perri, Pelle, & Stranges, 2015), and Spain (Cobo, Rueda, & López-Torrecillas, 2017), all of which observe that surveys based on indirect questioning are commonly used when the questions relate to sensitive issues.…”

“…The RRT and its variants have been applied to examine a great variety of subjects, including the use of recreational drugs or of athletic or cognitive performance-enhancing substances (Goodstadt & Gruson, 1975; Kerkvliet, 1994; Shamsipour et al, 2014; Simon, Striegel, Aust, Dietz, & Ulrich, 2006; Striegel, Ulrich, & Simon, 2010); the impact of HIV/AIDS infection in Botswana (Arnab & Singh, 2010); the prevalence of induced abortion in the United States, Mexico, Botswana, Taiwan, and Turkey (Lara, García, Ellertson, Camlin, & Suárez, 2006; Oliveras & Letamo, 2010); and the prevalence of induced abortion and of irregular immigrant status among foreign women in Calabria, Italy (Perri et al, 2015).…”

Comparison of Estimators for Multi-level Randomized Response Data: Evidence from a Case of Sexual Identity

“…For instance, Arnab and Singh (2010) demonstrated how RRT could be used in the Botswana AIDS Impact Survey. Ostapczuk et al (2009) studied attitudes toward foreigners, whereas Perri et al (2016) dealt with induced abortion and migrants’ irregular presence. Hsieh et al (2010) considered the proportion of illegal cable TV in Taiwan, and Tu and Hsieh (2017) studied extradyadic sexual behavior.…”

Multiple sensitive estimation and optimal sample size allocation in the item sum technique

“…Some recent contributions, although not exhaustive, cover a great variety of topics. For instance: the measure of the impact of HIV/AIDS infection in Botswana (Arnab & Singh, ); the assessment of sensitive health‐risk behaviors in HIV/AIDS positive individuals (Arentoft et al., ); the assessment of permissive sexual attitudes and high‐risk sexual behaviors to reduce the transmission and acquisition of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS (De Jong, Pieters, & Stremersch, ; Starosta & Earleywine, ; Geng, Gao, Ruan, Yu, & Zhou, ; Kazemzadeh, Shokoohi, Baneshi, & Haghdoost, ); patterns of condom use among university students for HIV/AIDS control programs (Safiri, ; Vakilian, Mousavi, Keramat, & Chaman, ); the prevalence of sexual behaviors such as extradyadic sex (Tu & Hsieh, ), commercial sex among homosexual men (Chen et al., ) and sexual assault (Krebs et al., ); the use of drug, and athletic, cognitive, and mood performance‐enhancing substances (Striegel, Ulrich, & Simon, ; Petróczi et al., ; Dietz et al., 2013; Franke et al., ; James, Nepusz, Naughton, & Petróczi, ; Nakhaee, Pakravan, & Nakhaee, ; Stubbe, Chorus, Frank, de Hon, & van der Heijden, ; Shamsipour et al., ; Khosravi et al., ; Cobo, Rueda, & López‐Torrecillas, ); smoking behavior validation studies (Fox, Avetisyan, & van der Palen, ); dental hygiene habits of Chinese college students (Moshagen, Musch, Ostapczuk, & Zhao, ); farmers' transgressionary behaviors and prevalence of animal diseases such as sheep scab in Wales (Cross, Edwards‐Jones, Omed, & Williams ), African swine fever in Madagascar (Randrianantoandro, Kono, & Kubota, ), or foot and mouth disease‐infected animals in Sri Lanka (Gunarathne, Kubota, Kumarawadu, Karunagoda, & Kon, ); estimation of the prevalence of induced abortion (Oliveras & Letamo, ; Moseson et al., ; Perri, Pelle, & Stranges, ); ecological and biological conservation issues including estimation of illegal bushmeat hunting (Nuno, Bunnefeld, Naiman, & Milner‐Gulland, ; Conteh, Gavin, & Solomon, ), illegal fishing (Blank & Gavin, ; Arias & Sutton, ), and unauthorized natural resources use (Harrison, Baker, Twinamatsiko, & Milner‐Gulland, ).…”