Entropy 2010, 12(2), 161-163; doi:10.3390/e12020161
Letter

Quantifying Information Content in Survey Data by Entropy

Fredrik A. Dahl 1,* email and Nina Østerås 2 email
1 Helse Sør-Øst Health Services Research Centre, Akershus University Hospital, Mail drawer 95, NO-1474 Lørenskog, Norway 2 The National Resource Centre in Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet hospital, P.O. Box 23 Vinderen, NO-0319 Oslo, Norway
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 4 November 2009; in revised form: 6 January 2010 / Accepted: 26 January 2010 / Published: 28 January 2010
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Abstract: We apply Shannon entropy as a measure of information content in survey data, and define information efficiency as the empirical entropy divided by the maximum attainable entropy. In a case study of the Norwegian Function Assessment Scale, entropy calculations show that the 5-point response version has higher information efficiency than the 4-point version.
Keywords: entropy; information; survey; data; questionnaire

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MDPI and ACS Style

Dahl, F.A.; Østerås, N. Quantifying Information Content in Survey Data by Entropy. Entropy 2010, 12, 161-163.

AMA Style

Dahl FA, Østerås N. Quantifying Information Content in Survey Data by Entropy. Entropy. 2010; 12(2):161-163.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Dahl, Fredrik A.; Østerås, Nina. 2010. "Quantifying Information Content in Survey Data by Entropy." Entropy 12, no. 2: 161-163.

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