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How is perceived inflation related to actual price changes in the European Union?

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  • Antonides, Gerrit

Abstract

We analyze for which types of consumer expenditures the rate of price change influences consumer perception of inflation. We use both harmonized consumer price indices (HCPI) and series of perceived inflation from Eurostat in the 1996-2006 time period for 13 European countries. After removing substantial autocorrelation, we found a significant effect of the rate of overall price change on perceived inflation in the EU as a whole and a number of individual countries, supporting Fechner's law. However, in different countries different consumer item categories were correlated with perceived inflation.

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  • Antonides, Gerrit, 2008. "How is perceived inflation related to actual price changes in the European Union?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 417-432, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:29:y:2008:i:4:p:417-432
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    Cited by:

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    3. Gärling, Tommy & Gamble, Amelie, 2008. "Perceived inflation and expected future prices in different currencies," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 401-416, August.
    4. Bruine de Bruin, Wändi & van der Klaauw, Wilbert & Topa, Giorgio, 2011. "Expectations of inflation: The biasing effect of thoughts about specific prices," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 834-845.
    5. Erik Jones, 2009. "Output Legitimacy and the Global Financial Crisis: Perceptions Matter," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(5), pages 1085-1105, November.
    6. Corduas, Marcella, 2022. "Gender differences in the perception of inflation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    7. Ivana Lolic & Petar Soric & Mirjana Cizmesija, 2017. "Disentangling the Relationship between News Media and Consumers' Inflation Sentiment: the Case of Croatia," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 67(3), pages 221-249, June.
    8. Alberto Prati, 2024. "The Well‐Being Cost of Inflation Inequalities," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 70(1), pages 213-238, March.
    9. Petar Sorić & Ivana Lolić & Mirjana Čižmešija, 2015. "European economic sentiment indicator: An empirical reappraisal," EFZG Working Papers Series 1505, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb.
    10. Şule GÜNDÜZ & Seçkin YILDIRIM & Mübeccel Banu DURUKAN, 2020. "An Investigation of the Factors Affecting Inflation Perceptions: A Case Study on Business and Economics Undergraduate Students Abstract: The aim of this study is to investigate the factors behind the ," Sosyoekonomi Journal, Sosyoekonomi Society, issue 28(45).
    11. Erik Jones, 2009. "Output Legitimacy and the Global Financial Crisis: Perceptions Matter," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47, pages 1085-1105, November.
    12. Azar, Ofer H., 2013. "Competitive strategy when consumers are affected by reference prices," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 327-340.
    13. Ranyard, Rob & Missier, Fabio Del & Bonini, Nicolao & Duxbury, Darren & Summers, Barbara, 2008. "Perceptions and expectations of price changes and inflation: A review and conceptual framework," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 378-400, August.
    14. Huber, Odilo W., 2011. "Frequency of price increases and perceived inflation. An experimental investigation," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 651-661.
    15. Petar Soric, 2024. "The euro and inflation in Croatia: much ado about nothing?," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 48(1), pages 1-37.

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