The Christofides' Randomized Response Technique for Multiple Sensitive Attributes

• Activity Number: 689
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Thursday, August 13, 2015 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
• Sponsor: Survey Research Methods Section
• Author(s): Shu-Hui Hsieh* and Shen-Ming Lee and Su-Hao Tu
• Companies: and Feng Chia University and Academia Sinica
• Keywords: multiple attributes ; randomized response design ; Christofides model ; Taiwan social change survey ; sexual orientation

Abstract

In this study, we extend Christofides model to estimate proportions of individuals with each of multiple possible attributes by means of only one randomization device. Under the extended model, a respondent reports the difference between an integer associated with his or her attribute and a random integer. A simulation study examines choices of the distribution for the random integer. The technique is illustrated using data from the 2012 Family and Gender Module of Taiwan Social Change Survey to estimate the proportions of individuals of different sexual orientations, and results are compared with results of direct inquiry from the same survey.