Regression Modeling and Meta-Analysis for Decision Making

Regression models are often used, explicitly or implicitly, for decision making. However, the choices made in setting up the models (e.g., inclusion of predictors based on statistical significance) do not map directly into decision procedures. Bayesian inference works more naturally with decision analysis but presents problems in practice when noninformative prior distributions are used with sparse data. We do not attempt to provide a general solution to this problem, but rather present an application of a decision problem in which inferences from a regression model are used to estimate costs and benefits. Our example is a reanalysis of a recent meta-analysis of incentives for reducing survey nonresponse. We then apply the results of our fitted model to the New York City Social Indicators Survey, a biennial telephone survey with a high nonresponse rate. We consider the balance of estimated costs, cost savings, and response rate for different choices of incentives. The explicit analysis of the decision problem reveals the importance of interactions in the fitted regression model.KEY WORDS: Decision analysisHierarchical linear regressionMeta-analysisSurvey nonresponse

Bayesian inference · Bayesian probability · Decision analysis · Decision rule · Econometrics · Economics · Inference · Machine learning · Regression analysis · Statistical inference · Statistics · Computer Science · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Mathematics · Statistical Methods and Bayesian Inference · Survey Methodology and Nonresponse · Artificial Intelligence

• Multilevel (Hierarchical) Modeling

  Andrew Gelman•Technometrics•2006

  Añadir item

• How Much Gets You How Much? Monetary Incentives and Response Rates in Household Surveys

  Andrew Mercer, Andrew Caporaso et al.•Public Opinion Quarterly•2015

  Añadir item

• Monetary Incentives in Large-Scale Face-to-Face Surveys

  Open Access•Michael Blohm, Achim Koch•International Journal of Public…•2021

  Añadir item

• Are Incentive Effects on Response Rates and Nonresponse Bias in Large-scale, Face-to-face Surveys Generalizable to Germany? Evidence from Ten Experiments

  Klaus Pforr, Michael Blohm et al.•Public Opinion Quarterly•2015

  Añadir item

• Can Incentive Effects in Web Surveys Be Generalized to Non-Western Countries? Conditional and Unconditional Cash Incentives in a Web Survey of Ghanaian University Students

  Open Access•Bart Meuleman, Amie Langer et al.•Social Science Computer Review•2017

  Añadir item

• Examining Variation in Survey Costs Across Surveys

  Open Access•K Olson, John Stevenson et al.•Sociological Methods & Research•2026

  Añadir item

• The Use and Effects of Incentives in Surveys

  Open Access•Eleanor Singer, Cong Ye•The Annals of the American…•2013

  Añadir item

• The impact of welfare reform for families with children

  Jane Waldfogel, Patrick Villeneuve et al.•Journal of Social Service Research•2000

  Añadir item