{"id":2135,"slug":"acquiescence-bias-prevalence","title":"Acquiescence bias — over 100 studies; affects ~10-20% of responses","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["self-report-validity","survey-question-design"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Over **100 studies** show respondents tend to agree with statements regardless of content. Estimates of the affected proportion of responses run **~10-20%**.\n\n**Source:** Traceable to Saris/Krosnick literature; replicated widely.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** The single biggest reason to forbid agree/disagree formats entirely ([[rule-r2-no-agree-disagree]]). Even a well-meaning respondent will agree-bias at ~15% — enough to systematically flatter the widget's self-image of every business it scores.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"rule-r2-no-agree-disagree","title":"R2 — Never use agree/disagree statements in the widget","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-capture-layer-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget capture layer — what owners can vs cannot self-report (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T20:03:31.052Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T20:03:31.052Z"}