Confidence and economic attitudes

I utilize data from the World Values Survey to construct individual confidence measures for a large cross-section of individuals from 12 countries and study how confidence relates to basic economic attitudes. I find that more confident individuals (i) are more risk-taking and entrepreneurial; (ii) exhibit positive attitude toward competition; (iii) participate in more networks; and (iv) are more actively involved in cooperative interactions. The economic impact of confidence varies significantly across cultures. I also show that confidence increases with income and education and deceases with age; men are more confident than women; and confident people exhibit higher level of happiness. The results provide insights into the nature of competitive behavior, the origin of cooperation, and the evolution of confidence.