Preference Clusters and Academic Outcomes

Antal Ertl (), Dániel Horn () and Hubert János Kiss ()
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Antal Ertl: ELTE Centre for Economic and Regional Studies; University of Iceland, School of Social Sciences
Dániel Horn: Corvinus University of Budapest; ELTE Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
Hubert János Kiss: ELTE Centre for Economic and Regional Studies; Corvinus University of Budapest

No 2605, KRTK-KTI WORKING PAPERS from Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies

Abstract: We measured time, risk, social, and competitive preferences in a sample of 1,035 secondary school students in Hungary. We examine whether meaningful groups of adolescents can be identified based on distinct constellations of these preferences, which we refer to as preference clusters. We also explore whether these clusters are associated with academic outcomes. Using cluster analysis, we consistently identify a group of students who are relatively more patient, less time-inconsistent, more risk-tolerant, more prosocial, and more cooperative. This preference cluster is positively associated with higher scores on standardized math and reading tests. Comparing cluster-based specifications to models with individual preferences entered separately, we find little loss in explanatory power, while preference clusters provide a more compact and interpretable description of how preferences are jointly organized within students.

Keywords: economic preferences; preference profiles; cluster analysis; academic achievement; risk and time preferences; prosocial behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C38 D91 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe and nep-edu
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