Unethical behavior in the field: Demographic characteristics and beliefs of the cheater

Alessandro Bucciol, Fabio Landini () and Marco Piovesan

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2013, vol. 93, issue C, 248-257

Abstract: What are the individual demographic characteristics that correlate with unethical behavior? To answer this question we randomly interviewed 541 passengers who used the bus in Reggio Emilia (Italy). Exploiting the high level of fare evasion (43% without a valid ticket) we find that young individuals, males and non-European immigrants in our sample are more likely to travel without a ticket. Interestingly, traveling with other people correlates with the probability of holding a valid ticket but its effect depends on who the passenger and the others are. Finally, we find that all passengers’ beliefs on fine costs, ticket inspection frequency, and percentage of passengers without a ticket are surprisingly close to actual figures. However, cheaters perceive inspections as more frequent than those traveling with a valid ticket.

Keywords: Cheating; Fare evasion; Individual characteristics; Unethical behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D63 D81 K42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (73)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:93:y:2013:i:c:p:248-257

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2013.03.018

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