Abstract

This paper offers a comprehensive and critical review of Insufficient Effort Responding (IER) in social surveys and psychological measurements, a concern that has garnered increasing attention. It aims to provide researchers and practitioners with practical guidance by delving into IER's causes, impacts, detection strategies, and preventive measures. Our review underscores that IER stems from both individual difference factors—such as personality traits, motivation levels, and cognitive abilities—and situational factors, including survey length, data collection methods, environmental distractions, lack of interaction between researchers and participants, and cultural variances. These elements significantly undermine measurement reliability and validity, leading to heightened errors in hypothesis testing and negatively impacting the outcomes of research and surveys. To counteract these adverse effects, the paper outlines several methodological strategies for the effective prevention and post hoc detection of IER, with the goal of enhancing both data quality and research reliability. The authors advocate for future research directions focused on 1) exploring the IER issues by accounting for cultural differences and 2) leveraging new measurement technologies to deepen the understanding and management of IER in research contexts.