ICES Seminar in Experimental Economics and Game Theory

Adjusting for Scale-Use Heterogeneity in Self-Reported Well-being

Friday, April 16, 2021 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM EDT
Online Location, Zoom Meeting

The ICES Seminar in Experimental Economics and Game Theory of the Spring 2021 semester will feature:

University of California, Los Angeles

Adjusting for Scale-Use Heterogeneity in Self-Reported Well-being

Please contact ICES Office Manager (sbahabib@gmu.edu) for Zoom link.

Abstract

Survey respondents experiencing the same internal state (e.g., feelings of happiness) may differ systematically in which response-scale option they choose to report that state. We develop a model of such scale-use heterogeneity and an econometric approach to adjusting for it. Scale use is identified by responses to calibration questions, designed to hold fixed the state across respondents. Our key assumption, justified by evidence and theoretical considerations, is that each respondent’s scale use differs from that of other respondents by a linear transformation. With pilot data from roughly 500 MTurk respondents, we illustrate our approach in applications involving self-reported well-being data..

For more information about the Seminar Series, please visit the Seminar Schedule homepage.