Dichotomous Preferences: Concepts, Measurement, and Evidence

Salvatore Barbaro () and Anna-Sophie Kurella ()
Additional contact information
Salvatore Barbaro: Johannes-Gutenberg University, Germany
Anna-Sophie Kurella: Leibniz University, Hannover, Germany

No 2506, Working Papers from Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

Abstract: Dichotomous preferences are a widely assumed feature in social choice theory. Despite their prominence in theoretical models, the empirical validity of this assumption has remained largely unexplored. Nor is it always clear how dichotomous preferences are defined across different research contexts. This paper introduces two new concepts that weaken the strict dichotomy assumption and can each be tested empirically. Using CSES data and three experimental datasets—two from French presidential elections and one from a regional election in Austria—we examine how frequently the different forms of dichotomous preferences occur. In addition, the paper provides evidence on the relationship between ranking and approval ballots. The results suggest that while dichotomous preferences do not offer a perfect representation of voter preferences, they constitute an acceptable approximation, particularly among voters who approve more than two alternatives and among respondents with higher educational attainment levels.

Keywords: Preferences; Dichotomous Preferences; Inequality Measures; Cluster Analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20 pages
Date: 2025-10-02
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://download.uni-mainz.de/RePEc/pdf/Discussion_Paper_2506.pdf first version, 2025 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:jgu:wpaper:2506

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from Gutenberg School of Management and Economics, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Research Unit IPP ().