American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Intrinsic Information Preferences and Skewness
American Economic Review
vol. 113,
no. 10, October 2023
(pp. 2615–44)
Abstract
We examine whether people have an intrinsic preference for negatively skewed or positively skewed information structures and how these preferences relate to intrinsic preferences for informativeness. The results from lab experiments show a strong intrinsic preference for positively skewed information and suggest that providing such information can improve information uptake. Evidence from field studies in decision- and ego-relevant contexts replicates these findings. We discuss our findings through the lens of existing theories and the potential trade-offs in information provision policies.Citation
Masatlioglu, Yusufcan, Yeşim Orhun, and Collin Raymond. 2023. "Intrinsic Information Preferences and Skewness." American Economic Review, 113 (10): 2615–44. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20171474Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- C91 Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual
- C93 Field Experiments
- D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- D82 Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
- D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness