Work

What do Happiness Data Mean? Theory and Survey Evidence

Year: 2023

Type: article

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 toward desired interpretations. We outline actionable suggestions for SWB researchers. (JEL: D69, D90, I31)

Source: Journal of the European Economic Association

DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvad026

Authors: Daniel J Benjamin, Jakina Debnam Guzman, Marc Fleurbaey, Ori Heffetz, Miles Kimball

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Amherst College, Paris School of Economics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Cornell University, University of Colorado Boulder

Language: English

Topic: Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W4378532207

FWCI: 4.07

Cites: 79

Cited by: 27

Related to: 10