The multidimensional randomized response design: Estimating different aspects of the same sensitive behavior

Abstract

The conventional randomized response design is unidimensional in the sense that it measures a single dimension of a sensitive attribute, like its prevalence, frequency, magnitude, or duration. This paper introduces a multidimensional design characterized by categorical questions that each measure a different aspect of the same sensitive attribute. The benefits of the multidimensional design are (i) a substantial gain in power and efficiency, and the potential to (i i) evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the model, and (i i i) test hypotheses about evasive response biases in case of a misfit. The method is illustrated for a two-dimensional design measuring both the prevalence and the magnitude of social security fraud.