Inconsistencies in self-reported weather-related home damage among household members

Nguyen, Ha and Mitrou, Francis (2025): Inconsistencies in self-reported weather-related home damage among household members.

Abstract

Using longitudinal, nationally representative data from Australia, this study uncovers a previously undocumented pattern: in over half of cases where one household member reports weather-related home damage, their co-resident does not. This high rate of intra-household inconsistency is striking, particularly given that respondents are asked the same question within a similar timeframe, and that prior research has generally treated self-reported damage as exogenous to individual behaviour. Household fixed-effects models indicate that a range of factors, including individual health, life satisfaction, local socio-economic conditions, and cyclone exposure, are systematically associated with both the likelihood of reporting damage and intra-household inconsistencies. Individuals in better health, with higher life satisfaction, or residing in more advantaged areas are less likely to report damage—whether consistently or inconsistently—relative to their household member. Furthermore, replacing self-reported damage with a more objective measure substantially attenuates the observed associations between damage and individual health and life satisfaction. Taken together, these findings challenge the common assumption of exogeneity in self-reported weather-related home damage and underscore the risk of biased inference if endogeneity is not adequately addressed.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Measurement Errors; Survey Misreporting; Natural Disasters; Cyclones; Housing
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C1 - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General > C18 - Methodological Issues: General; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q54 - Climate ; Natural Disasters and Their Management ; Global Warming; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R2 - Household Analysis > R23 - Regional Migration ; Regional Labor Markets ; Population ; Neighborhood Characteristics

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