Impact of open-mindedness on information avoidance: Tailored vs. generic communication

Delong Meng and Siyu Wang

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 2024, vol. 108, issue C

Abstract: This study explores the impact of open-mindedness on tailored versus generic information communication. We develop a preference formation model and formulate the following hypotheses: (1) in the case of generic information, open-minded individuals tend to avoid information less, resulting in them being better-informed; (2) with tailored information, close-minded individuals display stronger resistance, necessitating the sender to provide additional information for effective persuasion. Our experiments validate the core theoretical predictions, with a few observed behavioral deviations: individuals tend to avoid more information than predicted, particularly when it is tailored. Our structural model attributes this reluctance to resistance in altering one’s worldview. This study makes a significant contribution to the application and testing of preference formation theory while also raising questions about the practical effectiveness of commonly used tailored communication strategies.

Keywords: Information avoidance; Bayesian persuasion; Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C91 D82 D83 D91 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214804323001787
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:soceco:v:108:y:2024:i:c:s2214804323001787

DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2023.102152

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics) is currently edited by Pablo Brañas Garza

More articles in Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics) from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().