# "Practical Math" Preview: Collect Sensitive Survey Responses Privately

DevFeed: ["Practical Math" Preview: Collect Sensitive Survey Responses Privately](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/practical-math-preview-collect-sensitive-survey-responses-privately-40454.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.jeremykun.com/2022/05/14/practical-math-preview-collect-sensitive-survey-responses-privately/>)

Published: 2022-05-14T09:40:49Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Jeremy Kun](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/jeremy-kun.md>)

Topics: [math](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/math.md>), [Statistics](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/statistics.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>), [Software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software.md>)

Tags: [bias](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bias.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [collect](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/collect.md>), [differential-privacy](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/differential-privacy.md>), [mathematics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mathematics.md>), [politics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/politics.md>), [practical](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/practical.md>), [practical-math](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/practical-math.md>), [privacy](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/privacy.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [python](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/python.md>), [random](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/random.md>), [randomized-algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/randomized-algorithm.md>), [research](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/research.md>), [responses](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/responses.md>), [survey](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/survey.md>)

## AI overview

This chapter preview explains randomized response, a survey technique for estimating aggregate statistics about sensitive questions while preserving respondents' privacy. Respondents use private coin flips to introduce randomization and maintain plausible deniability.

## Source excerpt

This is a draft of a chapter from my in-progress book, Practical Math for Programmers: A Tour of Mathematics in Production Software. Tip: Determine an aggregate statistic about a sensitive question, when survey respondents do not trust that their responses will be kept secret. Solution: import random def respond_privately(true_answer: bool) -> bool: '''Respond to a survey with plausible deniability about your answer.''' be_honest = random.random() < 0.5 random_answer = random.random() < 0.