Anchoring Effects in the Elicitation of Multidimensional Beliefs: Evidence from a Representative Survey Experiment

Philipp Lergetporer (), Thomas Rittmannsberger (), Katharina Werner () and Helen Zeidler ()
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Philipp Lergetporer: Technical University of Munich
Thomas Rittmannsberger: Technical University of Munich
Katharina Werner: ifo Institute, University of Munich
Helen Zeidler: Technical University of Munich

No 17931, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We study anchoring effects in the elicitation of multidimensional beliefs within a single survey task using a representative sample of the German voting-age population. Respondents estimated government-spending levels across several domains (e.g., education, defense, social security), with randomized exposure to different informational anchors in one domain. Anchors significantly influence elicited beliefs in related domains and partially also shift respondents’ policy preferences. While the anchors change absolute estimates, perceived government-spending rankings remain stable. These findings offer methodological guidance for survey design involving multidimensional belief elicitation in information-provision experiments.

Keywords: survey; beliefs; experiment; anchoring; government spending (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C83 C90 D83 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-05
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