Raphael Studer

• University of Zurich

We propose a new non-linear regression model for rating dependent variables. The rating scale model accounts for the upper and lower bounds of ratings. Parametric and semi-parametric estimation is discussed. An application investigates the relationship between stated health satisfaction and physical and mental health scores derived from self-report...

In this paper, we test how reporting behaviors (response time, cognitive effort, questionnaire order) affect reported happiness in a large Dutch internet panel survey. We find that slower responses and higher cognitive effort reduce reported happiness. Moreover, in multivariate happiness equations, these factors moderate the estimated effect of inc...

A continuous and a discrete rating scale were implemented for a single item happiness question in a representative survey. A randomized controlled experiment enables unique analyses on data quality and distributions, which suggest superiority of the continuous scale. Results raise doubts about earlier inferences drawn on correlates of happiness. So...

Rating variables indicate the extent to which a quality is present, or absent, in a unit of observation. In this paper, we discuss a class of non-linear regression models for rating dependent variables and their estimation by parametric and semi-parametric methods. An application to life satisfaction illustrates the main differences between the Rat...

This article proposes a new class of rating scale models, which merges advantages and overcomes shortcomings of the traditional linear and ordered latent regression models. Both parametric and semi-parametric estimation is considered. The insights of an empirical application to satisfaction data are threefold. First, the methods are easily implemen...