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Keeping up with the Joneses and staying ahead of the Smiths: evidence from suicide data

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Author Info
Mary C. Daly
Daniel J. Wilson

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Abstract

This paper empirically assesses the theory of interpersonal income comparison using a unique data set on suicide deaths in the United States. We treat suicide as a choice variable, conditional on exogenous risk factors, reflecting one's assessment of current and expected future utility. Using this framework we examine whether differences in group-specific suicide rates are systematically related to income dispersion, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and income level. The results strongly support the notion that individuals consider relative income in addition to absolute income when evaluating their own utility. Importantly, the findings suggest that relative income affects utility in a two-sided manner, meaning that individuals care about the incomes of those above them (the Joneses) and those below them (the Smiths). Our results complement and extend those from studies using subjective survey data or data from controlled experiments.

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Paper provided by Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in its series Working Paper Series with number 2006-12.

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Date of creation: 2006
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedfwp:2006-12

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Keywords: Income distribution;

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References listed on IDEAS
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Joe Chen & Yun Jeong Choi & Kohta Mori & Yasuyuki Sawada & Saki Sugano, 2009. "Socio-Economic Studies on Suicide: A Survey," CIRJE F-Series CIRJE-F-629, CIRJE, Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. [Downloadable!]
  2. Andrew E. Clark & Claudia Senik, 2007. "La croissance rend-elle heureux ? La réponse des données subjectives," PSE Working Papers 2007-06, PSE (Ecole normale supérieure). [Downloadable!]
  3. Mary C. Daly & Daniel J. Wilson & Norman J. Johnson, 2007. "Relative status and well-being: evidence from U.S. suicide deaths," Working Paper Series 2007-12, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-26.

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