Survey mode skews youth wellbeing

Different survey modes (web, telephone, face-to-face) produce systematically different age patterns in self-reported wellbeing; web-based surveys show larger declines among young people than telephone surveys. This suggests some reported youth wellbeing drops may be at least partly measurement artifacts rather than purely generational change. — If survey mode drives much of the apparent decline in youth wellbeing, policymakers and journalists risk misallocating attention and resources unless they account for mode effects.