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Consumer Debt Stress, Changes In Household Debt, And The Great Recession

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  • Lucia F. Dunn
  • Ida A. Mirzaie

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="ecin12218-abs-0001"> This research examines psychological debt stress and changes in household debt holdings for consumers during the Great Recession using data from a monthly national U.S. household survey covering the period 2006 through 2012. Debt stress measures in the population rose by over 50% at the bottom of the recession. Determining relative stress for eight different types of household debt, we find that noncollateralized debts are more stressful than collateralized debt and that during the recession the composition of debt shifted away from collateralized debt and toward noncollateralized. Our empirical results show that women and Hispanics experienced higher measured levels of stress. (JEL D12, D18)

Suggested Citation

  • Lucia F. Dunn & Ida A. Mirzaie, 2016. "Consumer Debt Stress, Changes In Household Debt, And The Great Recession," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 54(1), pages 201-214, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:54:y:2016:i:1:p:201-214
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    6. Angela M. O’Rand & Jenifer Hamil-Luker, 2020. "Landfall After the Perfect Storm: Cohort Differences in the Relationship Between Debt and Risk of Heart Attack," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(6), pages 2199-2220, December.
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    9. Blumenberg, Evelyn & Speroni, Samuel & Siddiq, Fariba & Wasserman, Jacob L., 2024. "Putting Automobile Debt on the Map: Race and the Geography of Automobile Debt in California," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
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    11. Stephanie Moulton & Donald Haurin & Samuel Dodini & Maximilian D. Schmeiser, 2020. "How federally insured reverse mortgages affect the credit outcomes of older adults," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 1298-1327, December.
    12. Swanton, Thomas B. & Gainsbury, Sally M., 2020. "Debt stress partly explains the relationship between problem gambling and comorbid mental health problems," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    13. Reboul, E. & Guérin, I. & Nordman, C.J., 2021. "The gender of debt and credit: Insights from rural Tamil Nadu," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D18 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Protection

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