Inspired by the work of <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.07543" class="external-link">Horton et al (2023)</a> on
running behivoural econonomics lab experiments with a “homo silicus”,
LLMs acting as computational models of humans, this article explores how
synthetic data generated from LLMs can be used to pretest survey designs
before going into the field.</p>
<p>Pretesting with synthetic data enables quick iterations on survey
questions, helping you spot potential issues early on and save time
during