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Making sense of consumer inflation expectations: the role of uncertainty

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  • Reiche, Lovisa
  • Meyler, Aidan

Abstract

Consumers’ inflation expectations play a key role in the monetary transmission mechanism. As such, it is crucial for monetary policymakers to understand what they are and how they are formed. In this paper we introduce the (un)certainty channel as means to shed light on some of the more puzzling aspects of reported quantitative inflation perceptions and expectations. These include the apparent overestimation of inflation by consumers as well as the negative correlation observed between the economic outlook and inflation expectations. We also show that the uncertainty framework fits with some of the stylised facts of consumers’ inflation expectations, such as their correlation with socio-demographic characteristics and economic sentiment. JEL Classification: D11, D12, D84, E31, E52

Suggested Citation

  • Reiche, Lovisa & Meyler, Aidan, 2022. "Making sense of consumer inflation expectations: the role of uncertainty," Working Paper Series 2642, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20222642
    Note: 496790
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonas Dovern & Alexander Glas & Geoff Kenny, 2024. "Testing for differences in survey‐based density expectations: A compositional data approach," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 39(6), pages 1104-1122, September.
    2. Anahit Matinyan & Ardash Kilejian & Gevorg Minasyan & Aleksandr Shirkhanyan, 2025. "The Role of Information in Shaping Inflation Expectations and Perceptions: A Survey Experiment," Working Papers WP-2025-02, Central Bank of Armenia.
    3. Rosaria Simone & Marcella Corduas & Domenico Piccolo, 2023. "Dynamic modelling of price expectations and judgments," METRON, Springer;Sapienza Università di Roma, vol. 81(3), pages 323-342, December.
    4. Grishchenko, Vadim & Gasanova, Diana & Fomin, Egor, 2025. "Visible prices and their influence on inflation expectations of Russian households," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 107-115.
    5. Philip Schnattinger & Prachi Srivastava, 2025. "Household Inflation Uncertainty and Wage Growth Expectations," CESifo Working Paper Series 12216, CESifo.
    6. Michal Marencak, 2023. "State-dependent inflation expectations and consumption choices," Working and Discussion Papers WP 10/2023, Research Department, National Bank of Slovakia.
    7. Raquel Ayestarán & Juan Infante & Juan José Tenorio & Luis Alberiko Gil-Alana, 2023. "Evidence of Inflation Using Harmonized Consumer Price Indices in Some Euro Countries: France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, along with the Euro Zone," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-12, May.
    8. Erwan Gautier & Jérémi Montornès, 2022. "Household Inflation Expectations in France: Lessons from a New Survey and the COVID-19 Crisis," Economie et Statistique / Economics and Statistics, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE), issue 534-35, pages 3-19.
    9. Lovisa Reiche, 2023. "That’s what she said: An Empirical Investigation on the Gender Gap in Inflation Expectations," Economics Series Working Papers 1025, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    10. Dovern, Jonas & Glas, Alexander, 2025. "Uncertainty and rounding in expectation surveys," Discussion Papers 22/2025, Deutsche Bundesbank.
    11. Stefano Neri & Guido Bulligan & Sara Cecchetti & Francesco Corsello & Andrea Papetti & Marianna Riggi & Concetta Rondinelli & Alex Tagliabracci, 2022. "On the anchoring of inflation expectations in the euro area," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 712, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    12. Monge, Manuel & Lazcano, Ana & Infante, Juan, 2024. "Monetary policy and inflation rate in the behavior of consumer sentiment in the us. A fractional integration and cointegration analysis," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(3).
    13. Daria Minina & Gabriele Galati & Richhild Moessner & Maarten van Rooij, 2024. "The effect of information on consumer inflation expectations," Working Papers 810, DNB.
    14. Ali Inayat, 2023. "Household Inflation Expectations Uncertainty: A Case for Pakistan," Lahore Journal of Economics, Department of Economics, The Lahore School of Economics, vol. 28(1), pages 1-39, Jan-June.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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