The ‘10 Excess’ Phenomenon in Responses to Survey Questions on Happiness

Gaël Brulé () and Ruut Veenhoven
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Gaël Brulé: Erasmus University Rotterdam

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, 2017, vol. 131, issue 2, No 20, 853-870

Abstract: Abstract Happiness in nations is typically measured in surveys using a single question. A common question is: ‘all things considered, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life as-a-whole these days on a scale from 0 to 10?’. The responses typically follow a uni-modal distribution with highest frequencies between 5 and 8. Yet in some nations, the percentage of 10 responses stands out and is higher than the percentage of 9 responses. This is particularly present in Latin America and in the Middle East. In this paper we explore the prevalence of the ‘10-excess’ pattern and check some possible explanations. We conclude that the 10-excess phenomenon is partly due to cultural influence.

Keywords: Life satisfaction; Happiness; 10 excess; Cultural effect; Extreme responding (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s11205-016-1265-x

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