Consider the Following Survey Question: "How Satisfied Are You with the Direction

question 21

Multiple Choice

Consider the following survey question: "How satisfied are you with the direction that the country is going at this time? Would you say you are very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied?" To collapse the responses into two categories, you would be best advised to

• A) collapse and divide according to response similarity, such as "satisfied" versus "dissatisfied."
• B) make the most frequently selected "polar" response ("very satisfied" or "not at all satisfied") one category and combine the remaining three responses into a second category.
• C) combine adjacent responses to obtain an approximately equal proportion of cases in each category.
• D) place valid responses in one category and missing "values" in the other.

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Definitions:

Drug Overdose

The ingestion or application of a drug in quantities greater than recommended or generally practiced, leading to a serious or fatal outcome.

Hedonic Treadmill

The theory suggesting that people consistently return to a baseline level of happiness, regardless of positive or negative changes in their life.

Risk-as-feelings Hypothesis

The theory that people make decisions based on their emotional responses to risks, rather than through logical assessment of the risks and benefits.

Broaden-and-build Theory

A psychological theory suggesting that positive emotions expand one’s awareness and encourage novel, varied, and exploratory thoughts and actions.