Measuring the Unmeasurable? Systematic Evidence on Scale Transformations in Subjective Survey Data

Caspar Kaiser and Anthony Lepinteur

Papers from arXiv.org

Abstract: Ordered response scales are ubiquitous in economics, but their interpretation rests on an untested assumption: that numerical labels reflect equal psychological intervals. We develop a framework to quantify how relaxing this assumption affects empirical results. Using new experimental evidence, we show that scale use is only mildly non-linear. Replicating over 40,000 estimates from more than 80 papers, we find that coefficient signs and significance are largely robust, but relative magnitudes are not. Even modest non-linearities generate substantial variation in implied trade-offs.

Date: 2025-07, Revised 2026-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap
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Working Paper: Measuring the Unmeasurable? Systematic Evidence on Scale Transformations in Subjective Survey Data (2025)
Working Paper: Measuring the Unmeasurable? Systematic Evidence on Scale Transformations in Subjective Survey Data (2025)
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