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Frank, Jeff

Community Development and Applied Economics

2011

MS

This study seeks to examine the potential applications of a 101-point scale for capturing well-being in self-assessment surveys. By asking respondents to answer questions regarding happiness along a 0-100 point interval scale, the research is able to understand, changes in happiness with greater specificity than traditional methods. The variables assessed in this study are those that are commonly agreed upon as indicators of well-being from the field of positive psychology. Self-assessment survey research regarding subjective well-being has traditionally asked respondents to choose among ordinal categories. Individual respondent interpretations of these ordinal categories allow for several unnecessary forms of bias. This research additionally attempts to understand that bias by comparing 5-point ordinal category subjective well-being research with a 101-point categorical scale.
Additionally, by asking respondents to estimate their level of well-being under various hypothetical conditions, the research is able to derive the directional impact of changes in variables which contribute to well-being. This article also offers examples of potential applications of this survey method in the form of calculating Gini coefficients for happiness, as well as distinct measures of one's loss aversion and gain adoration for variables contributing to well-being.
The results of this research are experimental and require repetition before the applications of its findings can be determined. In theory, the findings from this research are fit to inform areas of study where revealed preferences yield insufficient, incongruent or inconclusive explanations of reality. Results from this study may have implications for measuring the efficacy of development strategies, many public policy initiatives and alternate measures of utility or welfare.