Working Paper: NBER ID: w28438
Authors: Daniel J. Benjamin; Jakina Debnam Guzman; Marc Fleurbaey; Ori Heffetz; Miles S. Kimball
Abstract: What utility notion—e.g., flow/lifetime, self/family-centered—do self-reported well-being (SWB) questions measure? Existing applications make different assumptions regarding the (i) life domains, (ii) time horizons, and (iii) other-regarding preferences captured by SWB data. To obtain relevant evidence, we ask survey respondents what they had in mind regarding (i)–(iii) when answering commonly used—life satisfaction, happiness, ladder—and new SWB questions. We find that respondents’ self-reports differ from researchers’ assumptions, and differ across SWB questions and sociodemographic groups. At the same time, simple SWB-question wording tweaks are effective in moving self-reports towards desired interpretations. We outline actionable suggestions for SWB researchers.
Keywords: self-reported wellbeing; utility; survey evidence; happiness; life satisfaction
JEL Codes: D69; D90; I31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| question wording (C83) | respondents' understanding and reporting of wellbeing (I31) |
| question wording (C83) | self-reports of wellbeing (I31) |
| demographic factors (J11) | interpretation of SWB questions (I31) |
| SWB measures (C21) | assumptions about utility (D11) |