Replication data for: The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) M. Keith Chen

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Project Citation:

Chen, M. Keith. Replication data for: The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2013. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2019-12-06. https://doi.org/10.3886/E116114V1

Project Description

Summary: Languages differ widely in the ways they encode time. I test the hypothesis that the languages that grammatically associate the future and the present, foster future-oriented behavior. This prediction arises naturally when well-documented effects of language structure are merged with models of intertemporal choice. Empirically, I find that speakers of such languages: save more, retire with more wealth, smoke less, practice safer sex, and are less obese. This holds both across countries and within countries when comparing demographically similar native households. The evidence does not support the most obvious forms of common causation. I discuss implications for theories of intertemporal choice. (JEL D14, D83, E21, I12, J26, Z13)

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      D14 Household Saving; Personal Finance
      D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
      E21 Macroeconomics: Consumption; Saving; Wealth
      I12 Health Behavior
      J26 Retirement; Retirement Policies
      Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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Published Versions

V1 [2019-12-06]

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Dublin Core

DDI 2.5

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