Important: Read this before posting to this forum

  1. This forum is for questions related to the use of Apollo. We will answer some general choice modelling questions too, where appropriate, and time permitting. We cannot answer questions about how to estimate choice models with other software packages.
  2. There is a very detailed manual for Apollo available at http://www.ApolloChoiceModelling.com/manual.html. This contains detailed descriptions of the various Apollo functions, and numerous examples are available at http://www.ApolloChoiceModelling.com/examples.html. In addition, help files are available for all functions, using e.g. ?apollo_mnl
  3. Before asking a question on the forum, users are kindly requested to follow these steps:
    1. Check that the same issue has not already been addressed in the forum - there is a search tool.
    2. Ensure that the correct syntax has been used. For any function, detailed instructions are available directly in Apollo, e.g. by using ?apollo_mnl for apollo_mnl
    3. Check the frequently asked questions section on the Apollo website, which discusses some common issues/failures. Please see http://www.apollochoicemodelling.com/faq.html
    4. Make sure that R is using the latest official release of Apollo.
  4. If the above steps do not resolve the issue, then users should follow these steps when posting a question:
    1. provide full details on the issue, including the entire code and output, including any error messages
    2. posts will not immediately appear on the forum, but will be checked by a moderator first. We check the forum at least twice a week. It may thus take a couple of days for your post to appear and before we reply. There is no need to submit the post multiple times.

Search found 1355 matches

by stephanehess
16 Apr 2026, 08:34
Forum: Errors during model validation and/or estimation.
Topic: Error when running Mixed Logit model in Apollo
Replies: 5
Views: 36769

Re: Error when running Mixed Logit model in Apollo

Hi

are you able to share your code and data with me and I can look into it

Stephane
by stephanehess
02 Apr 2026, 08:24
Forum: Models and estimation
Topic: Scenario prediction with apollo_prediction and respondent-specific BAU: shares vs max(p) vs simulation
Replies: 3
Views: 969

Re: Scenario prediction with apollo_prediction and respondent-specific BAU: shares vs max(p) vs simulation

Hi

you are getting different predictions in different rows given the probabilistic nature of the model, so a separate choice is sampled in each row

Stephane
by stephanehess
27 Mar 2026, 08:10
Forum: Models and estimation
Topic: Scenario prediction with apollo_prediction and respondent-specific BAU: shares vs max(p) vs simulation
Replies: 3
Views: 969

Re: Scenario prediction with apollo_prediction and respondent-specific BAU: shares vs max(p) vs simulation

Hi

max(p) is always the incorrect approach as it ignores the probabilistic nature of the model. If you need predictions at the person level, you indeed need to sample according to the probabilities. Have a look at ?apollo_prediction and the simChoice setting

Re BAU, I think your approach sounds ...
by stephanehess
25 Mar 2026, 10:19
Forum: Examples (existing and requests for new ones)
Topic: HB: Retrieving iteration-level draws of random parameters
Replies: 1
Views: 636

Re: HB: Retrieving iteration-level draws of random parameters

Hi Siqi

you need

Code: Select all

saveHBiterations=TRUE
in saveOutput_settings

Have a look at

Code: Select all

?apollo_saveOutput
Stephane
by stephanehess
12 Mar 2026, 07:26
Forum: Estimation results
Topic: Unexpected sign for remuneration coefficient
Replies: 7
Views: 54108

Re: Unexpected sign for remuneration coefficient

Hi

it seems like this is what is happening in your data, i.e. people choose options with lower renumeration, and any constraints you impose on the model or treatment of heterogeneity will just mask this.

Stephane
by stephanehess
09 Mar 2026, 18:25
Forum: Model specification
Topic: truncated normal for random parameters
Replies: 1
Views: 30915

Re: truncated normal for random parameters

Hi

truncated normal would not allow you to calculate WTP. How about log-uniform, which is an exponential of uniform. Shorter tails than Lognormal

Stephane
by stephanehess
09 Mar 2026, 18:24
Forum: Model specification
Topic: Combining experiments and feasibility of using nested logit structure
Replies: 3
Views: 41738

Re: Combining experiments and feasibility of using nested logit structure

Hi

your approach with alpha will work on the assumption that there is no other heterogeneity in sensitivities between the two experiments.

Re NL, the issue is that you only ever have two alternatives available at a time

Stephane
by stephanehess
22 Feb 2026, 09:14
Forum: Models and estimation
Topic: WTP estimates
Replies: 1
Views: 31100

Re: WTP estimates

Hi

how about your MNL results? Were they also unexpectedly high?

Stephane
by stephanehess
13 Feb 2026, 10:37
Forum: Estimation results
Topic: Unexpected sign for remuneration coefficient
Replies: 7
Views: 54108

Re: Unexpected sign for remuneration coefficient

Hi

this seems more of an issue of how people reacted to the attribute, rather than a modelling issue per se. Did you run a focus group or pilot at all?

Stephane
by stephanehess
04 Feb 2026, 11:37
Forum: Model specification
Topic: Combining experiments and feasibility of using nested logit structure
Replies: 3
Views: 41738

Re: Combining experiments and feasibility of using nested logit structure

Hi

not sure what your aim is re the alpha parameter, but otherwise, combining the models would be fine, of course with a scale parameter. There's an example on the Apollo website

Regarding NL, this won't really work. As you'll only ever have two alternatives available at a time, the probs would be ...