In this paper, I argue the scales are likely to be cardinally comparable both over time and across people. This is something of a bold claim to make and, if true, is pretty important, because it means we can basically interpret subjective data at face value, rather than worrying about having to make fancy adjustments based on e.g. the nationality of the respondents.
Just to flag, this topic has been the subject of three recent forum posts in the last 6 months. This paper addresses the concerns raised there.
Milan Griffes asks whether SWB scales might shift over time (intertemporal cardinality) and Fin Moorhouse shared his dissertation on the same topic.
Aidan Goth, in a post which commented on a forum post by the Happier Live Institute (“Using Subjective Well-Being to Estimate the Moral Weights of Averting Deaths and Reducing Poverty”) wonders whether subjective scales are comparable across people (interpersonal cardinality).
In this paper, I argue the scales are likely to be cardinally comparable both over time and across people. This is something of a bold claim to make and, if true, is pretty important, because it means we can basically interpret subjective data at face value, rather than worrying about having to make fancy adjustments based on e.g. the nationality of the respondents.