Abstract
Two non-standard techniques – the Rasch Model and Nonlinear Principal Components Analysis – originally proposed in other fields are presented and discussed to measure the opinion of European citizens about utilities. The Eurobarometer survey data are thus considered. The potential of both methods and their complementary use are highlighted; in particular the methods allow the questionnaire to be calibrated, the role of different services and aspects of service to be established, and the consumer satisfaction to be assessed and compared among European countries, different years and services.
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This paper has been supported under the VI Framework Program (project title: “Understanding Privatisation Policy: Political Economy and Welfare Effects”) of the European Union. The authors are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their precious comments and suggestions.
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Ferrari, P.A., Salini, S. Complementary Use of Rasch Models and Nonlinear Principal Components Analysis in the Assessment of the Opinion of Europeans About Utilities. J Classif 28, 53–69 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00357-011-9081-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00357-011-9081-0