Anonymity sampling: An innovative method for measuring hidden opinions in authoritarian contexts

In open societies, public opinion is typically measured through telephone interviews, face-to-face surveys, or verified online panels—methods that, despite their limitations, are generally considered reliable for producing valid results. Respondents in authoritarian contexts, however, will be affected by fear of the state and often conceal or falsify their true views. This makes it extremely difficult for researchers to capture valid public sentiment.

For social scientists and survey researchers, the key challenge is this: how can we measure suppressed or hidden opinions in a way that is representative, while ensuring that respondents feel safe enough to answer honestly?

We recognize that in a country like Iran, promises of confidentiality are not sufficient to reassure respondents and cannot be conflated with anonymity.
To address this, the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) has developed an approach called Anonymity Sampling, which relies on anonymous, self-administered, large-scale, and carefully designed online surveys to ensure respondent safety and data integrity.

In the first part of this webinar, Dr. Ammar Maleki presents GAMAAN’s anonymity sampling method. By comparing results with those of conventional surveys, he demonstrates how, especially in the context of Iran, traditional survey techniques can yield misleading results when applied to sensitive topics.

In the second part, Dr. Pooyan Tamimi Arab focuses on the case of religiosity in Iran, highlighting how GAMAAN’s data has revealed a significant secular shift—one that has long remained hidden from studies relying on conventional methods.