The Dynamics OF “Neither Agree nor Disagree” Answers in Attitudinal Questions

Attitudinal questions are an integral part of surveys in the social sciences. Previous research based on cross-sectional data has shown that both respondents’ characteristics and questionnaire design can lead to higher use of midpoint responses when questions are operationalized on uneven rating scales. To further current understanding of this phenomenon, in this article we apply hybrid regression models to analyze differences between respondents but also developmental changes within respondents, allowing for a more profound interpretation of the dynamics behind midpoint responses, theoretically explained by satisficing behavior. For our midpoint analyses, we use a set of attitudinal item blocks asked in the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) from 1991 to 2008. Respondents’ reports and interviewers’ judgments offer satisficing-related indicators regarding ability and motivation, enabling particularly accurate analyses of midpoint response behavior in terms of the “neither agree nor disagree” option. Results show that depending on respondents’ specific characteristics, higher use of the midpoint cannot automatically be equated with nonsubstantive response behavior. Furthermore, we demonstrate that specific indicators related to low ability and motivation do not uniformly increase midpoint responses. Application of the hybrid model reveals that changes in respondents’ characteristics do not affect midpoint response. We speculate that there are unobserved personality attributes that affect the propensity to midpoint response and conclude by reflecting on reasons for the increase in midpoint responses over the years.

Should We Worry About Sponsorship-Induced Bias in Online Political Science Surveys?

Political scientists rely heavily on survey research to gain insights into public attitudes and behaviors. Over the past decade, survey data collection has moved away from personal face-to-face and telephone interviewing towards a model of computer-assisted self-interviewing. A hallmark of many online surveys is the prominent display of the survey’s sponsor, most often an academic institution, in the initial consent form and/or on the survey website itself. It is an open question whether these displays of academic survey sponsorship could increase total survey error. We measure the extent to which sponsorship (by a university or marketing firm) affects data quality, including satisficing behavior, demand characteristics, and socially desirable responding. In addition, we examine whether sponsor effects vary depending on the participant’s experience with online surveys. Overall, we find no evidence that response quality is affected by survey sponsor or by past survey experience.

Economic Decisions and Simon’s Notion of Bounded Rationality

Decision making in economics has been always intertwined with the concept of rationality. However, neoclassical economic literature has been dominated by a specific notion of rationality, namely, perfect rationality, characterized by the assumption of consistency and by the maximization hypothesis. Herbert Simon, in his long research activity, questioned this concept of perfect or global rationality, suggesting a different vision, based on empirical evidence and regarding an individual’s choices. He challenged the neoclassical theory of global rationality, suggesting his notion of bounded rationality, a satisficing (instead of optimizing) behavior, and the relevance of procedural rationality to understand the process of thought of decision makers.Thus, this paper focuses on Simon’s notion of bounded rationality, since bounded rationality remains the hallmark of his theoretical contribution. First, the paper examines the economic decision process in the neoclassical theory and Simon’s notion of bounded rationality. Then, it analyzes in depth Simon’s behavioral model of rational choice, underlining the relevance of satisficing behavior and procedural rationality. Finally, it suggests an assessment of the concept of bounded rationality.

Consumer Choice and Aggregate Demand

Satisficing behavior is one of the most important subjects in consumer behavior studies. Satisficing consumers select any affordable bundle of items with utility larger than their satisfaction threshold. This contrasts to maximizing behavior, where the consumer selects the bundle of items with the highest possible utility within his or her budget constraint. Authors hypothesize that, all else equal, satisficers will purchase more goods overall when compared with maximizers. Furthermore, satisficers will also purchase more disposable rather than durable goods because they are less concerned with maximizing the total value of their purchases. To test these hypotheses, an agent-based model of consumer behavior has been developed that allows for decision making based on either satisficing or maximizing rules. Satisficer agents use a modified genetic algorithm to find a satisficing bundle. Maximizer agents apply dynamic programming to find the best bundle of items. The aggregated results of consumer agents' purchases support aforementioned hypotheses when consumers select from three types of products: 1) cheap disposable, 2) cheap durable, and 3) expensive durable. The hypotheses also hold when a more realistic set of items is constructed based on the common economic assumption that supply curves are upward sloping. In this latter case, consumers choose bundles from a total of 5 types of items, each of which differs in price, quality, and durability.

Choice Overload, Satisficing Behavior, and Price Distribution in a Time Allocation Model

Recent psychological research indicates that consumers that search exhaustively for the best option of a market product—known as maximizers—eventually feel worse than consumers who just look for something good enough—called satisficers. We formulate a time allocation model to explore the relationship between different distributions of prices of the product and the satisficing behavior and the related welfare of the consumer. We show numerically that, as the number of options becomes large, the maximizing behavior produces less and less welfare and eventually leads to choice paralysis—these are effects of choice overload—whereas satisficing conducts entail higher levels of satisfaction and do not end up in paralysis. For different price distributions, we provide consistent evidence that maximizers are better off for a low number of options, whereas satisficers are better off for a sufficiently large number of options. We also show how the optimal satisficing behavior is affected when the underlying price distribution varies. We provide evidence that the mean and the dispersion of a symmetric distribution of prices—but not the shape of the distribution—condition the satisficing behavior of consumers. We also show that this need not be the case for asymmetric distributions.