title: How Does Survey Context Impact Self-reported Fraud Victimization?
abstract: This study examines the effect of survey context on self-reported rates of personal fraud victimization, and explores if the effect is influenced by age and gender.
  
  
  
  Participants (3,000U.S. adults) were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 versions of a fraud victimization questionnaire: questions about fraud were identical across conditions, however, the context varies. One questionnaire asked about crime, one about consumer buying experiences, and a third focused only on fraud.
  
  
  
  Participants who were asked about fraud victimization in the context of crime reported significantly less victimization (p < .05) than those in the fraud-alone condition, yet the number of reports from those asked within the context of a consumer survey did not differ from the fraud-alone condition. The effect of the crime context interacted with age (p < .05), such that there was no effect of survey context for the middle age group (35-64), and a strong effect for younger (25-34) and older (65 plus) adults. The combined effect of being female and older was associated with the greatest effect of crime context on self-reported fraud victimization.
  
  
  
  These findings inform the production of new surveys and guide the development of effective social and health policies.
authors.affiliation: Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, California.
authors.forename: Michaela E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Beals
authors.affiliation: Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, California.
authors.forename: Dawn C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.affiliation: FINRA Investor Education Foundation, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Mottola
authors.affiliation: Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, California.
authors.forename: Martha J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Deevy
authors.affiliation: Stanford Center on Longevity, Stanford University, California.|Department of Psychology, Stanford University, California.
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Carstensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003415:Crime; D019548:Crime Victims; D005260:Female; D005607:Fraud; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: Elder fraud; Logistic regression; Survey design