How measures of perception from survey data lead to inconsistent regression results: evidence from adolescent and peer substance use
研究发现，当用调查受访者的感知替代同伴行为的直接测量时，回归估计量会因投射、重新缩放和随机测量误差而变得不一致，并用青少年吸烟饮酒的例子说明。
In studies of peer group behavior, the direct measure of peer group behavior is often not available, and so is replaced by perceptions from survey respondents. This study shows that regression estimators are inconsistent when the correctly measured independent variable of group behavior is replaced with perceived measures from survey respondents. The inconsistency is due to three sources: projection of own behavior onto the group, rescaling the marginal effect of the group, and simple random measurement error. We discuss why each effect may cause inconsistency, derive formulas for the probability limit to quantify their effects, and illustrate with three examples of adolescent smoking and drinking.