The Impact of Answer Scale Orientation on the Measurement of Life Satisfaction

Fabienne Wöhner () and Axel Franzen
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Fabienne Wöhner: University of Bern
Axel Franzen: University of Bern

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2024, vol. 25, issue 6, No 21, 18 pages

Abstract: Abstract In national and international surveys, life satisfaction is often measured by a single item. However, there is a lot of debate in survey research about whether rating scales should be ordered in an ascending order (from negative to positive) or a descending order (from positive to negative). We investigate the effect of scale orientation by randomly assigning both versions in an online survey (N = 3,138). The average reported life satisfaction is 0.7 points lower when the descending version of an 11-point scale is used, as compared to the ascending scale (p

Keywords: Response Scale Orientation; Likert Scale; Increasing and Decreasing Answer Scales; Horizontal and Vertical Scale Presentation; Smartphone Optimization; Life Satisfaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-024-00798-9

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