Arbeitspapier

Crowdsourcing financial information to change spending behavior

We document five effects of providing individuals with crowdsourced spending information about their peers (individuals with similar characteristics) through a FinTech app. First, users who spend more than their peers reduce their spending significantly, whereas users who spend less keep constant or increase their spending. Second, users’ distance from their peers’ spend-ing affects the reaction monotonically in both directions. Third, users’ reaction is asymmetric - spending cuts are three times as large as increases. Fourth, lower-income users react more than others. Fifth, discretionary spending drives the reaction in both directions and especially cash withdrawals, which are commonly used for incidental expenses and anonymous transactions. We argue Bayesian updating, peer pressure, or the fact that bad news looms more than (equally-sized) good news cannot alone explain all these facts.

Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 7533

Classification
Wirtschaft
Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
Household Saving; Personal Finance
Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡
Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
Behavioral Finance: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets‡
Subject
FinTech
learning
beliefs and expectations
peer pressure
financial decision-making
saving
consumer finance

Event
Geistige Schöpfung
(who)
D'Acunto, Francesco
Rossi, Alberto G.
Weber, Michael
Event
Veröffentlichung
(who)
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
(where)
Munich
(when)
2019

Handle
Last update
10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET

Data provider

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Object type

  • Arbeitspapier

Associated

  • D'Acunto, Francesco
  • Rossi, Alberto G.
  • Weber, Michael
  • Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)

Time of origin

  • 2019

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