Validating the use of vignettes for subjective threshold scales

Liam Delaney, Colm Harmon, Arie Kapteyn, Arthur van Soest () and James Smith

No 200808, Working Papers from School of Economics, University College Dublin

Abstract: Comparing self-assessed indicators of subjective outcomes such as health, work disability, political efficacy, job satisfaction, etc. across countries or socio-economic groups is often hampered by the fact that different groups use systematically different response scales. Anchoring vignettes have been introduced as an effective tool to correct for such differences. This paper develops an integrated framework in which objective measurements are used to validate the vignette based corrections. The framework is applied to vignettes and objective and subjective self-assessments of drinking behavior by students in Ireland. Model comparisons using the Akaike information criterion favor a specification with response consistency and vignette corrected response scales. Put differently, vignette based corrections appear quite effective in bringing objective and subjective measures closer together.

Keywords: Anchoring vignettes; Reporting bias; Hopit model; Microeconomics--Methodology; Scaling (Social sciences)--Methodology; College students--Alcohol use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C81 I12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe and nep-hap
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10197/966 First version, 2008 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Validating the Use of Vignettes for Subjective Threshold Scales (2007)
Working Paper: Validating the Use of Vignettes for Subjective Threshold Scales (2007)
Working Paper: Validating the Use of Vignettes for Subjective Threshold Scales (2007)
Working Paper: Validating the Use of Vignettes for Subjective Threshold Scales (2007)
Working Paper: Validating the Use of Vignettes for Subjective Threshold Scales (2007)
Working Paper: Validating the use of vignettes for subjective threshold scales (2007)
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