IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/qualqt/v51y2017i1d10.1007_s11135-015-0304-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Group-mean-centering independent variables in multi-level models is dangerous

Author

Listed:
  • Jonathan Kelley

    (University of Nevada)

  • M. D. R. Evans

    (University of Nevada)

  • Jennifer Lowman

    (University of Nevada)

  • Valerie Lykes

    (University of Nevada)

Abstract

Group-mean centering of independent variables in multi-level models is widely practiced and widely recommended. For example, in cross-national studies of educational performance, family background is scored as a deviation from the country mean for student’s family background. We argue that this is usually a serious mis-specification, introducing bias and random measurement error with all their attendant vices. We examine five diverse examples of “real world” analyses using large, high quality datasets on topics of broad interest in the social sciences. In all of them, consistent with much (but not all) of the technical literature, group-mean centering substantially distorts results. Moreover the distortions are large, substantively important differences pointing towards seriously incorrect interpretations of important social processes. We therefore recommend that group-mean centering be abandoned.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan Kelley & M. D. R. Evans & Jennifer Lowman & Valerie Lykes, 2017. "Group-mean-centering independent variables in multi-level models is dangerous," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 261-283, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:51:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s11135-015-0304-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11135-015-0304-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11135-015-0304-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11135-015-0304-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Omar Paccagnella, 2006. "Centering or Not Centering in Multilevel Models? The Role of the Group Mean and the Assessment of Group Effects," Evaluation Review, , vol. 30(1), pages 66-85, February.
    2. Krzysztof Zagorski & Mariah Evans & Jonathan Kelley & Katarzyna Piotrowska, 2014. "Erratum to: Does National Income Inequality Affect Individuals’ Quality of Life in Europe? Inequality, Happiness, Finances, and Health," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 939-939, September.
    3. M. Evans & Jonathan Kelley, 2004. "Effect of family structure on life satisfaction: australian evidence," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 69(3), pages 303-349, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. M. D. R. Evans & Jonathan Kelley & S. M. C. Kelley & C. G. E. Kelley, 2019. "Rising Income Inequality During the Great Recession Had No Impact on Subjective Wellbeing in Europe, 2003–2012," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 203-228, January.
    2. Ming-Chang Tsai, 2019. "The Good, the Bad, and the Ordinary: The Day-of-the-Week Effect on Mood Across the Globe," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(7), pages 2101-2124, October.
    3. Andrew Bell & Kelvyn Jones & Malcolm Fairbrother, 2018. "Understanding and misunderstanding group mean centering: a commentary on Kelley et al.’s dangerous practice," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(5), pages 2031-2036, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. M. D. R. Evans & Jonathan Kelley & C. G. E. Kelley & S. M. C. Kelley, 2020. "Income Inequality in the Great Recession did not Harm Subjective Health in Europe, 2003–2012," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 15(5), pages 1451-1473, November.
    2. O’Leary, Nigel & Li, Ian W. & Gupta, Prashant & Blackaby, David, 2020. "Wellbeing trajectories around life events in Australia," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 499-509.
    3. Mikucka, Malgorzata & Sarracino, Francesco & Dubrow, Joshua K., 2017. "When Does Economic Growth Improve Life Satisfaction? Multilevel Analysis of the Roles of Social Trust and Income Inequality in 46 Countries, 1981–2012," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 447-459.
    4. Nicola Pontarollo & Mercy Orellana & Joselin Segovia, 2020. "The Determinants of Subjective Well-Being in a Developing Country: The Ecuadorian Case," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(8), pages 3007-3035, December.
    5. Joanne Haddad & Jad Chaaban & Ali Chalak & Hala Ghattas, 2022. "Does Income Class Affect Life Satisfaction? New Evidence from Cross-Country Microdata," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-23, June.
    6. Martin Schröder, 2018. "Income Inequality and Life Satisfaction: Unrelated Between Countries, Associated Within Countries Over Time," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1021-1043, April.
    7. Anson Au, 2023. "Reassessing the econometric measurement of inequality and poverty: toward a cost-of-living approach," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Christopher Ambrey & Christopher Fleming, 2014. "Public Greenspace and Life Satisfaction in Urban Australia," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(6), pages 1290-1321, May.
    9. Mohamad, Nurul Muna & Masron, tajul & Widiyanti, Risna & Mohd Jamil, Muslimah, 2020. "Islamic Banking and Income Inequality: The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 54(2), pages 77-90.
    10. repec:bpj:pepspp:v:18:y:2012:i:3:p:10:n:4 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Johan Graafland & Bjorn Lous, 2019. "Income Inequality, Life Satisfaction Inequality and Trust: A Cross Country Panel Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(6), pages 1717-1737, August.
    12. Shan Zhao & Changhao Huang & Peilian Chi & Hongfei Du, 2024. "Economic Inequality Attenuates the Positive Relationship Between Perceptions of Social Mobility and Subjective Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(2), pages 749-770, April.
    13. Sofie Vanassche & Gray Swicegood & Koen Matthijs, 2013. "Marriage and Children as a Key to Happiness? Cross-National Differences in the Effects of Marital Status and Children on Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 501-524, April.
    14. Liisa-Maria Palomäki, 2017. "Reference Groups and Pensioners’ Subjective Economic Well-Being in Europe," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 509-525, March.
    15. Long Yang & Haiyang Lu & Meng Li, 2023. "Multidimensional Inequality and Subjective Well-Being in China: A Generalized Ordered Logit Model Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 1021-1052, February.
    16. Ambrey, Christopher L. & Fleming, Christopher M. & Chan, Andrew Yiu-Chung, 2014. "Estimating the cost of air pollution in South East Queensland: An application of the life satisfaction non-market valuation approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 172-181.
    17. de Vries, S.P. & Garcia Alvarez, G. & Botzen, W.J.W. & Bockarjova, M., 2023. "Valuing urban nature through life satisfaction: The consistency of GIS and survey indicators of nature," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    18. Neumann, Kathleen & Stehfest, Elke & Verburg, Peter H. & Siebert, Stefan & Müller, Christoph & Veldkamp, Tom, 2011. "Exploring global irrigation patterns: A multilevel modelling approach," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(9), pages 703-713.
    19. David G. Blanchflower & Andrew J. Oswald, 2005. "Happiness and the Human Development Index: The Paradox of Australia," NBER Working Papers 11416, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    20. Kelley, Jonathan, 2024. "HUMAN GAINS AND LOSSES FROM GLOBAL WARMING: Satisfaction with the Climate in the USA, Winter and Summer, North and South," SocArXiv f2zcw, Center for Open Science.
    21. Hasanul Banna & Muhammad Mehedi Masud & Shamsulbahriah K. A. Rodrigo, 2020. "How does economic growth impact on income inequality across ethnic groups in Malaysia?," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(4), pages 397-420, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:qualqt:v:51:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s11135-015-0304-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.