|
EconStor >
Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA), Bonn >
IZA Discussion Papers, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA) >
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10419/67147
|
| | |
| Title: | | Cognitive skills, gender and risk preferences  |
| Authors: | | Booth, Alison L. Katic, Pamela |
| Issue Date: | | 2012 |
| Series/Report no.: | | Discussion Paper Series, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit 6997 |
| Abstract: | | In this paper we utilise data from a unique new birth-cohort study to see how the risk preferences of young people are affected by cognitive skills and gender. We find that cognitive ability (measured by the percentile ranking for university entrance at age 18) has no effect on risk preferences measured at age 20. This is in contrast to experimental studies that use IQ measures to proxy cognitive skills. However we do find that gender matters. While young women are significantly more likely than young men to assess themselves as being prepared to take risks, women choose to invest significantly less when they are confronted with a clearly specified investment decision based on hypothetical lottery winnings. This difference between the impact of gender on risk attitudes and the hypothetical lottery investment suggests that impatience and framing affect young women and men differently. |
| Subjects: | | cognitive ability risk preferences risk attitudes gender |
| JEL: | | D01 D80 J16 J24 |
| Document Type: | | Working Paper |
| Appears in Collections: | | IZA Discussion Papers, Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA)
|
| |
| | |
Download bibliographical data as:
BibTeX
|
| |
Share on:http://hdl.handle.net/10419/67147
|
Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
|