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Quadratic voting in the wild: real people, real votes

Author

Listed:
  • David Quarfoot

    (University of California, San Diego)

  • Douglas Kohorn

    (Collective Decision Engines, LLC)

  • Kevin Slavin

    (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Rory Sutherland

    (Collective Decision Engines, LLC)

  • David Goldstein

    (Collective Decision Engines, LLC)

  • Ellen Konar

    (Stanford Center on Longevity)

Abstract

Since their introduction in 1932, Likert and other continuous, independent rating scales have become the de facto toolset for survey research. Scholars have raised significant reliability and validity problems with these types of scales, and alternative methods for capturing perceptions and preferences have gained traction within specific domains. In this paper, we evaluate a new, broadly applicable approach to opinion measurement based on quadratic voting (QV), a method in which respondents express preferences by ‘buying’ votes for options using a fixed budget from which they pay quadratic prices for votes. Comparable QV-based and Likert-based survey instruments designed by Collective Decision Engines LLC were evaluated experimentally by assigning potential respondents randomly to one or the other method. Using a host of metrics, including respondent engagement and process-based metrics, we provide some initial evidence that the QV-based instrument provides a clearer measure of the preferences of the most intensely motivated respondents than the Likert-based instrument does. We consider the implications for survey satisficing, a key threat to the continued value of survey research, and discuss the mechanisms by which QV differentiates itself from Likert-based scales, thus establishing QV as a promising alternative survey tool for political and commercial research. We also explore key design issues within QV-based surveys to extend these promising results.

Suggested Citation

  • David Quarfoot & Douglas Kohorn & Kevin Slavin & Rory Sutherland & David Goldstein & Ellen Konar, 2017. "Quadratic voting in the wild: real people, real votes," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 172(1), pages 283-303, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:172:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s11127-017-0416-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11127-017-0416-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Louviere, Jordan J. & Islam, Towhidul, 2008. "A comparison of importance weights and willingness-to-pay measures derived from choice-based conjoint, constant sum scales and best-worst scaling," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 61(9), pages 903-911, September.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Charlotte Cavaillé & Karine van Der Straeten & Daniel L. Chen, 2023. "Willingness to Say? Optimal Survey Design for Prediction," Working Papers hal-04062637, HAL.
    2. Darcy W. E. Allen & Chris Berg & Aaron M. Lane & Jason Potts, 2020. "Cryptodemocracy and its institutional possibilities," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 33(3), pages 363-374, September.
    3. Roberto Cagliero & Francesco Bellini & Francesco Marcatto & Silvia Novelli & Alessandro Monteleone & Giampiero Mazzocchi, 2021. "Prioritising CAP Intervention Needs: An Improved Cumulative Voting Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-18, April.
    4. Alessandra Casella & Luis Sanchez, 2019. "Storable Votes and Quadratic Voting. An Experiment on Four California Propositions," NBER Working Papers 25510, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Andrzej Baranski & Nicholas Haas & Rebecca Morton, 2020. "Majoritarian Bargaining over Budgetary Divisions and Policy," Working Papers 20200052, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised Jul 2020.
    6. Takeshi Kato & Yasuhiro Asa & Misa Owa, 2020. "Positionality-Weighted Aggregation Methods for Cumulative Voting," Papers 2008.08759, arXiv.org, revised Feb 2021.
    7. Nicholas Haas & Rebecca B. Morton, 2018. "Saying versus doing: a new donation method for measuring ideal points," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 176(1), pages 79-106, July.
    8. Takeshi Kato & Yasuhiro Asa & Misa Owa, 2021. "Positionality-Weighted Aggregation Methods for Cumulative Voting," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 9(2), pages 79-88, December.
    9. Cavaillé, Charlotte & Van Der Straeten, Karine & Chen, Daniel L., 2023. "Willingness to Say? Optimal Survey Design for Prediction," TSE Working Papers 23-1424, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social choice; Collective decisions; Survey methods; Intensity of preference; Preference elicitation; Budgeted voting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C42 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Survey Methods
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation

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