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Cultural Determinants of Household Saving Behavior

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  • Paule-Paludkiewicz, Hannah
  • Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola
  • Masella, Paolo

Abstract

We analyze whether culture affects the saving behavior of households and which cultural channels matter for this household decision. To disentangle cultural effects from economic and institutional factors, we study how the saving behavior of second-generation immigrants relates to the attitudes and beliefs in the respective countries of origin. Using data from Germany and the UK, we find that culture significantly determines household saving behavior. The two cultural components that we robustly identify to affect saving rates are the attitudes towards thrift and the wealth accumulation motive: second-generation immigrants from countries that value thrift and wealth accumulation more tend to save more in Germany. By linking parents to their children, we present evidence that these attitudes are related to the saving behavior of both parents and children. We also provide evidence that future-orientation is related to the saving behavior through the intergenerational transmission of language, rather than the direct transmission of attitudes.

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  • Paule-Paludkiewicz, Hannah & Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola & Masella, Paolo, 2016. "Cultural Determinants of Household Saving Behavior," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145854, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc16:145854
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    Cited by:

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    2. Mogha, Vipin & Williams, Benjamin, 2021. "Culture and capital structure: What else to the puzzle?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    3. Julia Bredtmann & Sebastian Otten, 2023. "Culture and the labor supply of female immigrants," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(2), pages 282-300, April.
    4. Lu, Weijie & Niu, Geng & Zhou, Yang, 2021. "Individualism and financial inclusion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 268-288.
    5. Huber, Stefanie J. & Schmidt, Tobias, 2022. "Nevertheless, they persist: Cross-country differences in homeownership behavior," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    6. Brown, Martin & Henchoz, Caroline & Spycher, Thomas, 2018. "Culture and financial literacy: Evidence from a within-country language border," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 62-85.
    7. Rottner, Florian, 2021. "Language and decision making: Board members and the investment in the future," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 421, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    8. Davoli, Maddalena & Rodríguez-Planas, Núria, 2020. "Culture and adult financial literacy: Evidence from the United States," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    9. Johan Almenberg & Annamaria Lusardi & Jenny Säve‐Söderbergh & Roine Vestman, 2021. "Attitudes towards Debt and Debt Behavior," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(3), pages 780-809, July.
    10. Richwine, Jason, 2023. "Savings behavior among immigrants and their U.S.-born children: A test of the culture-transplant model," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    11. Chabé-Ferret, Bastien, 2019. "Adherence to cultural norms and economic incentives: Evidence from fertility timing decisions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 24-48.
    12. Huber, Stefanie J. & Paule-Paludkiewicz, Hannah, 2024. "Gender norms and the gender gap in higher education," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    13. Bredtmann, Julia & Otten, Sebastian, 2023. "Natives' gender norms and the labor market integration of female immigrants," Ruhr Economic Papers 1042, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    14. Markowsky, Eva, 2022. "Culture, Female Labour Force Participation, and Selective Migrationː New Meta-Analytic Evidence," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 65, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.
    15. Cuomo, Maria Teresa & Tortora, Debora & Colosimo, Ivan & Ricciardi Celsi, Lorenzo & Genovino, Cinzia & Festa, Giuseppe & La Rocca, Michele, 2023. "Segmenting with big data analytics and Python: A quantitative exploratory analysis of household savings," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    16. Chi, Jianxin Daniel & Su, Xunhua & Tang, Yun & Xu, Bin, 2020. "Is language an economic institution? Evidence from R&D investment," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    17. Teodora Cristina Barbu & Iustina Alina Boitan, 2018. "Immigrants’ impact on financial market – European countries’ evidence," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 36(1), pages 183-212.
    18. O Gomes, 2022. "Personality and Patterns of Savings: the Theory of Economic Growth beyond Optimal Behaviour," Economic Issues Journal Articles, Economic Issues, vol. 27(2), pages 1-30, September.
    19. Glenn Abela & William Gatt, 2021. "Saving behaviour in Malta: Insights from the Household Budgetary Survey," CBM Working Papers WP/02/2021, Central Bank of Malta.
    20. Astghik Mavisakalyan & Clas Weber, 2018. "Linguistic Structures And Economic Outcomes," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 916-939, July.
    21. Graziella Bertocchi & Marianna Brunetti & Anzelika Zaiceva, 2018. "The Financial Decisions of Immigrant and Native Households: Evidence from Italy," Department of Economics 0138, University of Modena and Reggio E., Faculty of Economics "Marco Biagi".

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth

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