Change in Time Preferences: Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake

Mika Akesaka

ISER Discussion Paper from Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of Osaka

Abstract: This study examines whether individuals’ time preferences are affected by the damage resulting from the tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, using panel surveys before and after the earthquake. When the change in time preferences is measured using the (β, δ) model, I find that the present bias tendency is increased (shrinking β), although the change in the time discount rate (δ) is not statistically significant for those affected by the tsunami. This study also investigates changes in time preferences using other behavioral indicators. The results show that those affected by the tsunami are more prone to impulse shopping, procrastination, unplanned overconsumption, and increased body mass indices (BMI). Moreover, I find gender heterogeneous changes in time preferences. Changes in time preferences appeared in males immediately after the earthquake in 2012 and 2013, and have been subsiding thereafter. On the other hand, these changes appeared in females in 2016 and 2017, i.e., after a lag since the earthquake.

Date: 2018-04
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.iser.osaka-u.ac.jp/static/resources/docs/dp/2018/DP1028.pdf

Related works:
Journal Article: Change in time preferences: Evidence from the Great East Japan Earthquake (2019)
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:dpr:wpaper:1028

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in ISER Discussion Paper from Institute of Social and Economic Research, The University of Osaka Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Librarian ().