Do Danes and Italians Rate Life Satisfaction in the Same Way? Using Vignettes to Correct for Individual-Specific Scale Biases

Viola Angelini, Danilo Cavapozzi, Luca Corazzini, Omar Paccagnella.
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Luca Corazzini, Danilo Cavapozzi (), Viola Angelini and Omar Paccagnella ()

No 31, ISLA Working Papers from ISLA, Centre for research on Latin American Studies and Transition Economies, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy

Abstract: Self-reported life satisfaction is highly heterogeneous across similar countries. We show that this phenomenon can by largely explained by the fact that individuals adopt different scales and benchmarks in evaluating themselves. Using a cross sectional dataset on individuals aged 50 and over in ten European countries, we compare estimates from an Ordered Probit in which life satisfaction scales are invariant across respondents with those from a Hopit model in which vignettes are used to correct for individual-specific scale biases. We find that variations in response scales explain a large part of the differences found in raw data. Moreover, the cross countries ranking in life satisfaction dramatically depends on scale biases.

Keywords: Life satisfaction; scale biases; vignette; counterfactuals. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C42 D12 I31 J14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 32 pages
Date: 2008-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-eec and nep-hpe
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Do Danes and Italians Rate Life Satisfaction in the Same Way? Using Vignettes to Correct for Individual-Specific Scale Biases (2014)
Working Paper: Do Danes and Italians Rate Life Satisfaction in the Same Way? Using Vignettes to Correct for Individual-Specific Scale Biases (2011)
Working Paper: Do Danes and Italians Rate Life Satisfaction in the Same Way? Using Vignettes to Correct for Individual-Specific Scale Biases (2009)
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