Being surveyed can change later behavior and related parameter estimates
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Banerjee_Being surveyed.pdf
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121.34 KB
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Author(s)
Zwane, Alix Peterson
Zinman, Jonathan
Dusen, Eric Van
Pariente, William
Null, Clair
Miguel, Edward
Kremer, Michael
Karlan, Dean S.
Hornbeck, Richard
Gine, Xavier
Date Issued
January 2011
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)
Citation
Zwane, A. P. et al. “Being Surveyed Can Change Later Behavior and Related Parameter Estimates.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108.5 (2011): 1821–1826. © 2011 National Academy of Sciences
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Does completing a household survey change the later behavior of those surveyed? In three field studies of health and two of microlending, we randomly assigned subjects to be surveyed about health and/or household finances and then measured subsequent use of a related product with data that does not rely on subjects' self-reports. In the three health experiments, we find that being surveyed increases use of water treatment products and take-up of medical insurance. Frequent surveys on reported diarrhea also led to biased estimates of the impact of improved source water quality. In two microlending studies, we do not find an effect of being surveyed on borrowing behavior. The results suggest that limited attention could play an important but context-dependent role in consumer choice, with the implication that researchers should reconsider whether, how, and how much to survey their subjects.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1000776108
