Strategic ignorance and perceived control

Arbeitspapier

Information can trigger unpleasant emotions. As a result, individuals might be tempted to strategically ignore it. We experimentally investigate whether increasing perceived control can mitigate strategic ignorance. Participants from India were presented with a choice to receive information about the health risk associated with air pollution and were later asked to recall it. Perceived control leads to a substantial improvement in information recall. We find that optimists react most to perceived control, both with a reduction in information avoidance and an increase in information recall. This latter result is supported by a US sample. A theoretical framework rationalizes our findings.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: AWI Discussion Paper Series ; No. 735

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness ; Health and Economic Development ; Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
• Thema: information avoidance ; information recall ; perceived control ; motivated cognition ; air pollution

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Balietti, Anca ; Budjan, Angelika J. ; Eymess, Tillmann ; Soldà, Alice
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics
• (wo): Heidelberg
• (wann): 2023

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: doi:10.11588/heidok.00033841
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/283383
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:16-heidok-338419
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:41 MEZ