Path coefficient

Imagine you're drawing a map from your house to your friend's house. You might draw arrows to show which way to go - turn left at the stop sign, go straight for a mile, turn right at the big tree, etc. Each arrow represents a "path" that takes you from one place to another.

When we talk about "path coefficients," it's kind of like we're talking about how long or how fast those arrows are. Some paths might be shorter, some might be longer, and some might be faster or slower (like if there's a big hill you have to climb). But by figuring out these path coefficients, we can get a better understanding of how to get from one place to another.

In more technical terms, path coefficients are a way to measure how each individual "path" in a statistical model contributes to the overall relationship between two or more variables. So, just like we might use arrows to draw a map, researchers use path coefficients to draw a "map" of how different factors (like age, income, education level, etc.) are related to each other. By looking at these path coefficients, researchers can identify which factors are most important in predicting certain outcomes, allowing them to design more effective interventions or policies.