Proactive Bias Mitigation When Using Online Survey Panels for Self-Reported Use of Illicitly Manufactured Fentanyl in the General Adult Population

How much does proactive bias mitigation affect prevalence estimates of illicitly manufactured fentanyl use when using an online general population survey?In this survey study including 175 058 respondents, the 2024 estimate of illicitly manufactured fentanyl use decreased from 3.9% to 1.1% after bias mitigation, a 70.9% drop. Bias-mitigated estimates of oral use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl increased from 35.9% in 2022 to 44.4% in 2024, which was the most common route of administration.When using online surveys, proactive bias mitigation is essential to produce valid estimates.

Corresponding Author: Joshua C. Black, PhD, Rocky Mountain Poison joshua.black@rmpds.org).

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