scholarly journals Scale Norming Undermines the Use of Life Satisfaction Scale Data for Welfare Analysis

Author(s):  
Mark Fabian

AbstractScale norming is where respondents use qualitatively different scales to answer the same question across survey waves. It makes responses challenging to compare intertemporally or interpersonally. This paper develops a formal model of the cognitive process that could give rise to scale norming in year on year responses to life satisfaction scale questions. It then uses this model to conceptually differentiate scale norming from adaptation and changes in reference points. Scale norming could make life satisfaction responses misleading with regards to the changing welfare of individuals. In particular, individuals who would say that their life is "improving" or "going well" might nonetheless give the same scale response year after year. This has negative implications for the use of scales in cost–benefit analysis and other welfarist applications. While there is already substantial empirical evidence for the existence of scale norming, its implications for welfare analysis are sometimes understated on the grounds that this evidence might simply be the product of errors of memory. The paper presents new empirical evidence for scale norming from two surveys (N1 = 278; N2 = 1050) designed such that errors of memory are an unconvincing explanation for the results.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Fabian

Scale norming, sometimes called ‘response shift’, is where respondents use qualitatively different scales to answer the same question across survey waves. It makes responses challenging to compare intertemporally or interpersonally. This paper develops a formal model of the cognitive process that could give rise to scale norming in year on year responses to life satisfaction scale questions. It then uses this model to conceptually differentiate scale norming from adaptation and changes in reference points. Scale norming could make life satisfaction responses misleading with regards to the changing welfare of individuals. In particular, individuals who would say that their life is "improving" or "going well" might nonetheless give the same scale response year after year. This has major implications for the use of scales in cost-benefit analysis and other welfarist applications. While there is already substantial empirical evidence for the existence of scale norming, its implications for welfare analysis are sometimes understated on the grounds that this evidence might simply be the product of errors of memory. The paper presents new empirical evidence for scale norming from two surveys (N1 = 278; N2 = 1050) designed such that errors of memory are an unconvincing explanation for the results.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany A. Jones ◽  
Walter Pierre Bouman ◽  
Emma Haycraft ◽  
Jon Arcelus

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 497
Author(s):  
Teodora Slavinski ◽  
Dragan Bjelica ◽  
Dejana Pavlović ◽  
Valentina Vukmirović

Life satisfaction influences sustainable personal growth among students by ensuring that they more firmly apply themselves in their education. Universities represent an environment where students may improve their life satisfaction through better academic performance and being engaged in extracurricular sport. This study evaluates life satisfaction (LS) among university students, 18 to 28 years of age to confirm whether academic performance, involvement in sports and physical activity are factors relating to higher levels of LS among university students. The study uses the Brief Multidimensional Life Satisfaction Scale. Over a three-year timeframe, a questionnaire was administered to a sample of 875 students across areas of study in institutions of higher education in Serbia. The data were analyzed using Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis tests. LS among students is found to be significantly improved under the following conditions: removing the burden to pay for one’s tuition, having a better Grade Point Average (GPA) as well as being involved in sport. Moreover, the optimum level of physical activity to positively affect LS is found to be four to five hours a week.


Author(s):  
Najeh Mohammad Zawahreh Najeh Mohammad Zawahreh

This study aimed to identifying the degree of life satisfaction, the level of self-esteem and the relationship between them among students of Najran University in KSA the study sample consisted of (639) students, of whom (319) were male and (320) female students. The researcher use previous literature to building two measures, the life satisfaction scale and the self-esteem scale. Validity and reliability of both tools were concluded. the results revealed that the degree of life satisfaction among Najran University students was high, and their level of self-esteem was high, and the results showed a strong, positive and significant correlation between the degree of satisfaction with Life and the level of self-esteem, and indicated that there were no differences in life satisfaction and self-esteem among Najran University students due to the gender variable, or type of college variable.The study recommended measuring students' life satisfaction and self-esteem periodically.


1988 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric E. McCollum ◽  
Walter R. Schumm ◽  
Candyce S. Russell

In a predominantly middle-aged sample of 182, the four items of the Kansas Family Life Satisfaction Scale demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Further evidence of construct validity was found, as well as limited discriminant validity. The scale was positively correlated with Edmonds's measure of marital conventionalization, and a pattern of unequal variance at different levels of social desirability was found.


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