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Social preferences and information about effort and luck: an online survey experiment

Author

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  • Begoña Cabeza;
  • Koen Decancq;

Abstract

We propose an easily implemented method to compare the level of altruism of non-parametric social preferences over one’s own and another person’s monetary pay-off. The method was used in an online survey experiment with 573 decision makers to compare the level of altruism of their social preferences and study how much it is affected by randomized information about the effort and luck level of the other person. We find evidence supporting the hypothesis that decision makers become more altruistic when they learn that the other person exerted a high level of effort, and become less altruistic when they learn that the other person was lucky.

Suggested Citation

  • Begoña Cabeza; & Koen Decancq;, 2023. "Social preferences and information about effort and luck: an online survey experiment," Working Papers 2305, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    • Handle: RePEc:hdl:wpaper:2305
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    File URL: https://medialibrary.uantwerpen.be/files/57001/bb076e9a-5244-4b42-884e-69aa2b7c0eeb.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ingvild Almås & Alexander W. Cappelen & Bertil Tungodden, 2020. "Cutthroat Capitalism versus Cuddly Socialism: Are Americans More Meritocratic and Efficiency-Seeking than Scandinavians?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 128(5), pages 1753-1788.
    2. Fleurbaey, Marc, 2012. "Fairness, Responsibility, and Welfare," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199653591.
    3. Begoña Cabeza;, 2023. "Social preferences, support for redistribution, and attitudes towards vulnerable groups," Working Papers 2308, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    4. Fong, Christina, 2001. "Social preferences, self-interest, and the demand for redistribution," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(2), pages 225-246, November.
    5. Robert Haney Scott, 1972. "Avarice, Altruism, and Second Party Preferences," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 86(1), pages 1-18.
    6. Stantcheva, Stefanie, 2022. "How to Run Surveys: A guide to creating your own identifying variation and revealing the invisible," CEPR Discussion Papers 17586, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. James Andreoni & John Miller, 2002. "Giving According to GARP: An Experimental Test of the Consistency of Preferences for Altruism," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 70(2), pages 737-753, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Cabeza Martínez, Begoña, 2023. "Social preferences, support for redistribution, and attitudes towards vulnerable groups," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 107(C).

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