I have a multiple regression that contains multiple variables, many of them ordinal with 3 or 4 possible choices. (e.g: Are you currently experiencing stress? 1: No, not at all. 2: Somewhat. 3: Yes, quite a lot.)
My question is a follows - should I start these variables at 1, 0 or doesn't it matter? The advantage of starting at 0 is that the intercept of the regression has more meaning (e.g, the base value at the absence of all other factors) - but starting at 1 is easier for people at questionnaires.