The Reliability of Subjective Well-Being Measures

Alan Krueger and David A. Schkade

No 13027, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper studies the test-retest reliability of a standard self-reported life satisfaction measure and of affect measures collected from a diary method. The sample consists of 229 women who were interviewed on Thursdays, two weeks apart, in Spring 2005. The correlation of net affect (i.e., duration-weighted positive feelings less negative feelings) measured two weeks apart is 0.64, which is slightly higher than the correlation of life satisfaction (r=0.59). Correlations between income, net affect and life satisfaction are presented, and adjusted for attenuation bias due to measurement error. Life satisfaction is found to correlate much more strongly with income than does net affect. Components of affect that are more person-specific are found to have a higher test-retest reliability than components of affect that are more specific to the particular situation. While reliability figures for subjective well-being measures are lower than those typically found for education, income and many other microeconomic variables, they are probably sufficiently high to support much of the research that is currently being undertaken on subjective well-being, particularly in studies where group means are compared (e.g., across activities or demographic groups).

JEL-codes: C0 I20 J24 J28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2007-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap and nep-ltv
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Published as Krueger, Alan B. & Schkade, David A., 2008. "The reliability of subjective well-being measures," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(8-9), pages 1833-1845, August.

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Related works:
Journal Article: The reliability of subjective well-being measures (2008)
Working Paper: The Reliability of Subjective Well-Being Measures (2007)
Working Paper: The Reliability of Subjective Well-Being Measures (2007)
Working Paper: The Reliability of Subjective Well-Being Measures (2007)
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