Rethinking “counterintuitive” results and analogical reasoning: a rejoinder to the critique of “erroneous regression”

Abstract Since its online publication on 16 January 2025, Scapegoating international students for the rental crisis? Insights from large-scale evidence (2017–2024) in Australia has attracted significant attention and sparked widespread discussion. Among the responses is Kault’s critique, Erroneous regression used to associate higher international student numbers with lower rents . As our publication continues to generate impact, Kault’s critique is a welcome contribution, opening an intellectual avenue for scholarly debate, and providing an opportunity for us to reiterate viewpoints already made in the original publication and to offer necessary clarifications and further elaborations. In this response, we begin by recapitulating our study, followed by a summary of Kault’s critique and the assumptions embedded in its allegations. We then address Kault’s methodological challenges while drawing insights from established theses and existing studies to inform our rebuttal. We conclude by inviting the use of the reflexive tool of viewpoint , which enables critical and productive engagement with competing evidence and contrasting perspectives.