Adam Smith Business School

Professor Miguel Ballester, University of Oxford

"The rationalizability of survey responses (with Jose Apesteguia)"
Tuesday, 07 May 2024. 16:00-17:30
Room 204, Sir Alexander Stone Building

Abstract

We propose and study the concept of survey rationalizability. In the simplest scenario of dichotomous attitudinal surveys, survey rationalizability means that both questions and individuals’ views can be positioned on the real line in such a way that individuals endorse only the questions that closely align with their views. We demonstrate how the relative positioning of questions can be learned through basic revelation mechanisms involving either one or two individuals and two or three questions. We establish that the consistency of these basic revelations is necessary and sufficient for rationalizability of responses, and show that the analysis readily extends to polytomous surveys and probabilistic data. Furthermore, we investigate the identification of the parameters in these models and prove that even the cardinal locations can be fully determined in an exponential version of the probabilistic model. Finally, we conclude by comparing attitudinal surveys to an alternative model of survey responses for aptitudes.

Bio

I am a Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford. In the main part of my research, I study individual decision-making with a special interest on its psychological foundations. I aim to better understand the relevant behavioral traits affecting individual decisions and their welfare implications.

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For further information, please contact business-school-research@glasgow.ac.uk

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First published: 5 April 2024