The use of self-reports in economics: Methodological barriers and their overcoming

Abstract

The paper analyzes the history of the use of self-reports in economics in order to study the logic of overcoming methodological barriers in recent decades that previously limited the use of such data in economics. The two most widely used types of self-reported data in economics were considered: first, data on subjective expectations, intentions, and attitudes; second, data on subjective wellbeing, happiness, and life satisfaction. It is concluded that the main reasons for the changes can be identified as the transformations that took place in economics at the turn of the century: an increase in the prestige of applied research (the so-called “applied” turn), the fragmentation of the discipline, and a decrease in the importance of rational choice models compared to experimental and quasiexperimental methods. The prospects for the future use of self-reported data in economics are promising due to the methodological changes that have taken place, the expansion of interdisciplinary cooperation, and the rapid development of methods for collecting and processing data.