Discounting health and money: New evidence using a more robust method

Arthur Attema, Han Bleichrodt, Olivier L’Haridon (), Patrick Peretti-Watel () and Valerie Seror ()
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Olivier L’Haridon: University of Rennes
Patrick Peretti-Watel: Aix-Marseille University

Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 2018, vol. 56, issue 2, No 1, 117-140

Abstract: Abstract This study compares discounting for money and health in a field study. We applied the direct method, which measures discounting independent of utility, in a representative French sample, interviewed at home by professional interviewers. We found more discounting for money than for health. The median discount rates (6.5% for money and 2.2% for health) were close to market interest rates, suggesting that at the aggregate level the direct method solves the puzzle of unrealistically high discount rates typically observed in applied economics. Constant discounting fitted the data better than the hyperbolic discounting models that we considered. The substantial individual heterogeneity in discounting was correlated with age and occupation.

Keywords: Time preference; Health versus money; Field study; Direct method; Constant discounting; Hyperbolic discounting; C91; D12; D91; I10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (24)

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Working Paper: Discounting Health and Money: New Evidence Using A More Robust Method (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:jrisku:v:56:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11166-018-9279-1

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DOI: 10.1007/s11166-018-9279-1

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