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Does Weighting Capture What’s Important? Revisiting Subjective Importance Weighting with a Quality of Life Measure

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Abstract

The present study evaluated subjective importance weighting using data collected with the Injection Drug User Quality of Life Scale (IDUQOL). Weighted and unweighted IDUQOL scores from 241 adults were correlated with convergent, discriminant, and criterion measures. Regression analysis was used to examine the contribution of importance ratings to scores on a global measure of life satisfaction and the corrected weighted IDUQOL total scores. Overall, the results showed that weighted scores did not perform better than unweighted scores in measuring quality of life. However, the mean satisfaction ratings for important domains correlated significantly higher with convergent measures than did the mean satisfaction ratings for unimportant domains. This finding suggests further attention needs to be paid to the meaning and measurement of subjective importance and how it may be incorporated more effectively into measures of quality of life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

    Lara B. Russell & Bruno D. Zumbo

  2. Dept. of ECPS, University of British Columbia, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada

    Anita M. Hubley

  3. St. Paul’s Hospital, University of British Columbia and Division of Internal Medicine, Vancouver, Canada

    Anita Palepu

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  1. Lara B. Russell
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  2. Anita M. Hubley
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  3. Anita Palepu
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  4. Bruno D. Zumbo
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Correspondence to Anita M. Hubley.

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Russell, L.B., Hubley, A.M., Palepu, A. et al. Does Weighting Capture What’s Important? Revisiting Subjective Importance Weighting with a Quality of Life Measure. Soc Indic Res 75, 141–167 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-2528-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-004-2528-5

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