People I (Mostly) Admire 165. The Economist Who (Gasp!) Asks People What They Think
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Aug 30, 2025 In this engaging discussion, Harvard Professor Stefanie Stantcheva, a John Bates Clark Medal winner, shares her groundbreaking approach to economic research through public surveys. She reveals the often ignored but crucial insights into immigration perceptions and how media narratives shape public opinion on economic policies. Stantcheva also delves into the challenges of creating effective surveys and the significant influence of upbringing on economic views, highlighting the gap between consumer experiences and statistical data.
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Why Surveying Minds Matters
- Stefanie Stantcheva shifted from optimal tax theory to surveys because economists lacked insight into how people actually reason about policy.
- She argues well-designed surveys reveal beliefs, constraints, and preferences that behavior data alone cannot show.
Early Pushback Then Acceptance
- Many mentors warned Stefanie that survey work was risky and 'career suicide' for an economist.
- As colleagues saw value, more researchers adopted survey methods and her work gained acceptance.
Invest Time In Survey Design
- Design survey questions with care and iterate for clarity to avoid biased or meaningless responses.
- Expect design to take months and pretesting to refine interactive and numerical items.