Balietti, Anca ; Budjan, Angelika ; Eymess, Tillmann ; Soldà, Alice
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Abstract
Information can trigger unpleasant emotions. As a result, individuals might be tempted to willfully ignore it. We experimentally investigate whether increasing perceived control can mitigate strategic ignorance. Participants from India were presented with a choice to receive information about the health risk associated with air pollution and later asked to recall it. We find that perceived control leads to a substantial improvement in information retention. Moreover, perceived control mostly benefits optimists, who show both a reduction in information avoidance and an increase in information retention. This latter result is confirmed with a US sample. A theoretical framework rationalizes these findings.
| Document type: | Working paper |
|---|---|
| Series Name: | Discussion Paper Series / University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics |
| Volume: | 0730 |
| Place of Publication: | Heidelberg |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Aug 2023 14:04 |
| Date: | August 2023 |
| Number of Pages: | 55 |
| Faculties / Institutes: | The Faculty of Economics and Social Studies > Alfred-Weber-Institut for Economics |
| DDC-classification: | 330 Economics |
| Controlled Keywords: | Luftverschmutzung |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | air pollution, information avoidance, information retention, perceived control, motivated cognition |
| Series: | Discussion Paper Series / University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics |
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- Strategic Ignorance and Perceived Control. (deposited 18 Aug 2023 14:04) [Currently Displayed]
