Do students tell the truth on surveys?
Decades of research suggests that self reports of alcohol use are an accurate source of data about drinking . Many surveys have been administered to assess drinking behavior, and studies have examined the validity, reliability, and effectiveness of these surveys. This research has shown that self-report data on alcohol use are valid. In simple terms, this means that the survey questions regarding alcohol use are accurately measuring the behaviors they are intending to measure. In scientific terms, validity is demonstrated by showing that it is highly correlated with other measures of alcohol consumption including reports by friends, statistics on alcohol-related problems, and scientific testing (chemical analysis of blood alcohol content) In addition, self-reports of drinking have been found to be reliable through examining test-retest reliability (Sobell et al., 1988). That means that individuals respond consistently to questions about their drinking at multiple points in time.
