Hidden Practices Remain Hidden? Lessons from a Failed Attempt to Measure Purchasing Sexual Services Using the Item Count Technique

Abstract

The Item Count Technique (ICT) is an experimental method aimed at eliciting truthful responsesto sensitive questions. In its basic form, the ICT randomly assigns respondents to one of twoconditions: a control group, which receives a list of neutral statements, and a treatment group,which receives the same list with an additional sensitive item. Respondents then indicate thetotal number of statements that apply to them without specifying which ones. The difference inthe average counts between the two groups is used to estimate the prevalence of the sensitivebehavior. This study examines discrepancies in reporting the purchase of sexual services bycomparing direct questioning with the ICT using an online survey of 1603 panelists in Spain.The findings reveal that the ICT was ineffective in estimating the prevalence of purchasingsexual services, underscoring the need to thoroughly test proposed designs and to further developstrategies for obtaining accurate self-reported data on sensitive topics.