The “Living With” question has among its answer-options “With family” and “With partner/spouse”. This could be trying to draw two different distinctions: (1) with partner/spouse only versus e.g. with children, or (2) with partner/spouse and possibly also children versus with parents. I think 2 is more likely, and expect most others to interpret it that way, but I’m not sure it’s so much more likely that no one will interpret it differently.
I wonder whether this might actually be better with a few not-mutually-exclusive tickyboxes: “Do you live with any other people? Check all that apply”, and then “Parent(s)”, “Partner/spouse”, “Children”, “Others”. Or something like that.
Alternatively, and assuming I’m right about which meaning was intended: “Alone” / “With parents and/or siblings” / “With partner/spouse and/or children” / “With roommates” (though that last one feels a bit too specific to me).
I’ve updated it to be “Alone, With Parents/Siblings, With Partner/Spouse, With Roommates, or Other” and to allow checking multiple boxes. That does change the wording on a question we’ve used in the past, but I think it’s safe.
Changing it from Pick One to Check All That Apply feels more likely to throw off comparisons to past data. It feels better, because it’s obviously possible to live with a parent, your partner, and roommates all at once, but it is also not how we’ve done it in the past. I’m currently leaning toward making it Check All That Apply (“It’s wrong but it’s tradition” is not the defense I want to give for a decision made for the Less Wrong Census!) but haven’t done it yet. Anyone reading this, feel free to weigh in?
The “Living With” question has among its answer-options “With family” and “With partner/spouse”. This could be trying to draw two different distinctions: (1) with partner/spouse only versus e.g. with children, or (2) with partner/spouse and possibly also children versus with parents. I think 2 is more likely, and expect most others to interpret it that way, but I’m not sure it’s so much more likely that no one will interpret it differently.
I wonder whether this might actually be better with a few not-mutually-exclusive tickyboxes: “Do you live with any other people? Check all that apply”, and then “Parent(s)”, “Partner/spouse”, “Children”, “Others”. Or something like that.
Alternatively, and assuming I’m right about which meaning was intended: “Alone” / “With parents and/or siblings” / “With partner/spouse and/or children” / “With roommates” (though that last one feels a bit too specific to me).
I’ve updated it to be “Alone, With Parents/Siblings, With Partner/Spouse, With Roommates, or Other” and to allow checking multiple boxes. That does change the wording on a question we’ve used in the past, but I think it’s safe.
Changing it from Pick One to Check All That Apply feels more likely to throw off comparisons to past data. It feels better, because it’s obviously possible to live with a parent, your partner, and roommates all at once, but it is also not how we’ve done it in the past. I’m currently leaning toward making it Check All That Apply (“It’s wrong but it’s tradition” is not the defense I want to give for a decision made for the Less Wrong Census!) but haven’t done it yet. Anyone reading this, feel free to weigh in?