Measuring Non-Cognitive Skills Using Survey Effort in Developing Countries

Measuring non-cognitive skills using self-report instruments in developing countries has two main challenges: such instruments are expensive and have significant biases. Survey Effort, defined as the response rate in surveys, is a promising alternative to be used as a proxy for non-cognitive skills. This paper analyze the correlation between survey effort with socioemotional skills for low-income Brazilian students. We show that survey effort predict student’s conscientiousness and agreeableness skills. We also find the presence of heterogeneous correlation in girls and students with different socioeconomic status