Understanding Acquiescence Bias: The Mediating Role of Careless Responding in Demographic Differences

Acquiescence Response Style (ARS) results in unintended bias in survey research by systematically skewing respondents’ ratings. ARS has been considered to be influenced by individual traits and thus commonly attributed to demographic characteristics. This study investigates the mediating role of Careless Responding (CR) in the manifestation of ARS. Using large-scale survey data, this study demonstrates that CR strengthens or weakens the influence of demographic characteristics on ARS, explaining a significant portion of the variance in ARS. This study also demonstrates that the effectiveness of the instructional manipulation check (IMC) in detecting CR is diminished when it is designed to match the effects of ARS. ARS triggered by CR decreases IMC failure rates, thereby reducing the IMC’s ability to detect CR. The mediating role of CR remains underexplored in the extant literature. This study addresses this research gap, offering a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving ARS and CR.