Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335949 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18301
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We examine whether culturally transmitted time and risk preferences help explain differences in preventive health care uptake. We combine individual-level survey data from 27 European countries with country-level preference measures from the Global Preferences Survey. To isolate cultural influences from institutional and economic confounders, we focus on second-generation immigrants, who were born and currently reside in the same country -- and thus face the same institutional environment and health care system -- but whose parents originate from culturally distinct countries. We find that descendants of more patient cultures are more likely to use preventive services, while those from more risk-taking cultures are less likely to do so. These associations appear across multiple preventive care outcomes and remain robust to a wide range of socio-demographic and country-of-origin controls. The results highlight the role of culturally shaped preferences as a subtle but systematic determinant of preventive health behavior.
Subjects: 
preventive care
culture
patience
risk-taking
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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