What Is the Ostrich Effect?

No one loves to experience something negative. Every human always wants to hear something pleasant and whenever the unforeseen happens, the human brains act defensive and get into denial of what has just happened, hoping it will pass with time but it doesn’t, rather it gets worse. What you ignore doesn’t disappear, it only multiplies.

Have you ever visited the hospital and you were told to go for a test to check what caused the inconvenience you are feeling in your body? The following day, you received a call from the lab, that the test result is ready but you avoid going to the hospital because you are afraid of what the result might be. The avoidance at play is called The ostrich effect.

The ostrich effect also known as ostrich problem is a cognitive bias where individuals consciously ignore or avoid negative information, much like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, hoping the problem will disappear. This behavior is often observed in financial and health related decisions where people refrain from checking their bank statement or carrying out a test. This avoidance can lead to more anxiety and detrimental consequences in the long run. Studies have shown that facing the problem head on, will reduce stress and help make better decisions.

Why People Avoid Bad News

People avoid bad news because it makes them uncomfortable, they are afraid to face the problem head on. When something makes people worried, stressed or uncomfortable, they feel safe avoiding it rather than facing it. Some common reasons include:

• Self protection: People ignore bad news because it temporarily helps them protect their sense of confidence.

• Fear of consequences: Some bad information may require someone to take drastic or difficult decisions they would rather choose to avoid.

• Fear of negative emotion: People may avoid information because they don’t want to feel sad, stressed or anxious.

• Maintain a positive view: People would rather prefer information that keeps them in the good light or confirms that everything is going well.

• Uncertainty: People feel that not knowing the answer or feedback feels safer than discovering the uncomfortable truth.

The Ostrich Effect in Surveys

The ostrich effect in surveys happens when respondents avoid questions that ask about uncomfortable or negative information. Instead of facing the problem head on, they may skip it or choose a neutral answer or abandon the survey altogether. This commonly occurs in surveys that are centered around e.g. health concerns, workplace issues, personal mistakes or financial difficulties.

For example, a customer who had a bad experience with a new feature of a product may avoid such a question as “what was the biggest problem you experienced?” because they do not want to recall the frustrating experience. The ostrich effect can have a significant impact on survey results when important negative feedback is missing from the data.

If a survey is mainly filled with positive responses with no ounce of negative response in sight, this may result in misleading insights. Researchers can reduce this effect by adopting the usage of neutral wording, anonymity and creating a comfortable survey environment.

How Negative Questions Affect Respondents

Negative questions can spike uneasiness in respondents especially when the questions are sensitive, focused on mistakes and unpleasant experiences. As a result, respondents may refrain from giving their honest view or response for the fear of being judged or being in a bad light. Negative questions can affect respondents in the following ways:

• They may skip the questions: When questions create uneasiness, respondents may avoid answering the questions because of discomfort.

• They may feel judged: Question wordings that sound judgmental can make respondents defensive, and might end up in survey abandonment.

• They may give a safer answer: No one wants to spread their dirty linen for the world to see, instead of reporting their true opinion or experience, they may opt for a neutral or less negative response.

• They may rush through the survey: Some respondents may respond quickly to move past uncomfortable questions or topics.

• They may abandon the survey: A consistent line by line negative questions can trigger uneasiness which can lead to survey drop off and abandonment.

The Role of Question Wording

The choice of wording and its construction in survey questions plays a huge role in what the response of respondents might be towards a question. It could determine if the response will be positive, negative or socially acceptable. The choice of words can motivate or dampen the mood of the respondent in giving a negative or positive response.

When questions about bad news are too direct, judgmental or harsh, respondents may feel blamed and embarrassed. This can encourage them to skip the question, give a socially desirable response or drop off the survey.

For example, instead of asking:

“How many times did you fail to meet your deadline last month?” using the word fail can trigger uneasiness, leading to skipping the question rather it could be written this way:

“How often were deadlines challenging to meet last month?” The word “challenging” is more safe and less shameful than the word “fail”. No one loves their failure or shortcoming being pointed out.

Another example is:

“How much debt are you owing right now?” This usage of the word feels too direct and threatening; rather, it should be written this way: “Roughly, in which range would you put your current debt?”

Researchers should note that the right choice of word doesn’t change the situation, rather it makes respondents feel safe to say it out loud without being criticized.

How the Ostrich Effect Affects Survey Data

The ostrich effect can affect surveys and this happens when respondents avoid questions about negative and uncomfortable experiences. When this happens, researchers may find it hard to get the full picture of what respondents’ experiences are.

• Missing responses: Respondents may skip questions that sound too direct and make them feel uneasy, leaving gaps in the data.

• Low honest responses: Some people may give a socially acceptable response instead of reporting their true opinion or view.

• Reduced data quality: Skipping and avoiding difficult or negative questions can make the data collected less valid and reliable.

• Overly positive results: Underreporting negative experiences and overreporting positive experiences may make the findings about the product or service more positive than its truly is.

• Biased conclusions: Business and researchers may draw conclusions based on incomplete data which can affect business decisions or recommendations.

Examples of the Ostrich Effect in Research

1. Education research – Student feedback

– Study: University course evaluation on mental health

– Question: Have you felt too depressed or drained to function this semester?”

– Ostrich effect: Only 10% answered, vs 90% for neutral questions.

The students who experienced depression skipped the question.

– Research problem: University reported low depression rate but they had massive missing data.

2. COVID Research in 2020

– Study: UK covid symptoms tracking app.

– Question: daily “Do you feel any symptoms today?”

– Ostrich effect: When cases spiked, daily reporting rate dropped 25%. People avoid opening app.

– Research problem: Cases look like they were dropping, but people were just ostriching.

3. Health research – HIV self testing studies

– Study: South Africa HIV self- testing survey

– Question: Would you like to receive your test result now?”

– Ostrich effect: 30% refused to get results even though they already took the test.

– Research problem: Researchers thought low HIV rate, but high risk people were just avoiding results, underestimates prevalence.

4. Workplace research – Employee burnout

– Study: Gallup workplace survey across 100 companies.

– Question: “Are you considering leaving in the next 6 months?”

– Ostrich effect: Burned out employees had 2x higher survey drop off rate. They quit the survey and then quit the job.

– Research problem: Companies think retention is fine, because unhappy people never finish the survey.

How Researchers Can Reduce the Ostrich Effect

Researchers can reduce the ostrich effect by paying attention to their usage of words and making respondents feel comfortable and safe when answering questions about negative experiences. The goal should be making them answer negative questions honestly.

• Use neutral wording: Avoid using words that make respondents feel uneasy or judged. Instead use simple and respectful terms.

• Explain why the question matters: Give a brief reason why the question is being asked as this can encourage respondents to give feedback even when the question is negative.

• Include easy response options: Options like “not sure”, “prefer not to say” or “Not applicable” can reduce pressure on respondents.

• Assure respondents anonymity: Let respondents know that their responses are kept safe and anonymous. When they are aware of the anonymity, they feel comfortable sharing negative information.

• Ask sensitive questions carefully: Do not throw sensitive questions all at once instead start from the less negative before introducing the difficult ones.

• Keep the survey engaging: Excess difficult or negative questions can cause fatigue and increase the chances of survey abandonment.

Conclusion

The ostrich effect reveals how people may avoid information or feedback that feels negative, uneasy and difficult to confront. In surveys, this can lead to skipping questions, giving socially desirable responses for the fear of being judged or avoiding sharing important experiences. Researchers can reduce this by adopting neutral wording, anonymity and creating a safe environment for honest responses. When researchers create safe environment, it helps uncover problems more accurately and collect data that