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The Determinants of SRI preferences of the 50+ Population in Three European Countries

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  • Elisa Castagno
  • Mariacristina Rossi
  • Arthur van Soest

Abstract

We investigate stated household preferences for socially responsible investments (SRI), focusing on the effect of saving regret and personality traits. We rely on data collected in a special ad hoc module of the SHARE dataset in 2019, covering the 50+ population in Belgium, Italy and Spain. We find that the latent interest in SR assets is substantial and much larger than actual ownership would suggest. Our results confirm earlier findings in the literature that highly-educated people and those living in urban areas are more interested in investing in SR assets than their counterparts. The interest in SR assets falls with risk aversion and is higher for those who regret that they did not save less in the past. It increases with opennessto new experiences and agreeableness, while it falls significantly with conscientiousness.

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  • Elisa Castagno & Mariacristina Rossi & Arthur van Soest, 2025. "The Determinants of SRI preferences of the 50+ Population in Three European Countries," Carlo Alberto Notebooks 737 JEL Classification: D, Collegio Carlo Alberto.
    • Handle: RePEc:cca:wpaper:737
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    References listed on IDEAS

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