The Role of Television in Household Debt: Evidence from the 1950's

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Baker ◽  
Lisa M George
Keyword(s):  
Labor Supply ◽  
Durable Goods ◽  
Television Advertising ◽  
Household Debt ◽  
Micro Data ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
Mortgage Debt ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Early Access

Abstract We examine whether advertising increases household debt by studying the initial expansion of television in the 1950's. Exploiting the idiosyncratic spread of television across markets, we use micro data from the Survey of Consumer Finances to test whether households with early access to television saw steeper debt increases than households with delayed access. Results indicate that exposure to television advertising increases the tendency to borrow for household goods and the tendency to carry debt. Television access is associated with higher debt levels for durable goods, but not with the total amount of non-mortgage debt. We provide suggestive evidence that increased labor supply may drive our results. The role of media in household debt may be greater than suggested by existing research.

scholarly journals Impact of Economic Shocks on Cumulative Advantage Processes: Recession, Recovery, and Trajectories of Inequality

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 508-508
Author(s):  
Stephen Crystal
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
Subsequent Recovery ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Life Course

Abstract This study compares the effect of the 2008 recession and subsequent recovery across generational cohorts by evaluating age-cohort trajectories of income inequality. Using data from the 2007 to 2016 waves of the Survey of Consumer Finances, we examine the trajectory of inequality for the overall population and by cohort in years spanning the Great Recession and subsequent recovery. We find that increases in per-capita income and wealth observed at the population-level during the recovery were not reflected among households below the median, leading to increasing inequality. Within cohorts, we observe growing inequality within cohorts in their primary working years. Findings are consistent with a model of integrative cumulative dis/ advantage, which predicts increasing within-cohort inequality over the life course influenced both by persistent micro- and macro-level processes of increasing heterogeneity. Our analyses highlight the potential role of extreme business cycle fluctuations, booms and busts, to exacerbate this underlying process.

scholarly journals The Great Balancing Act: Households, Debt, and Economic Insecurity

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 237802312098819
Author(s):  
Michelle Maroto
Keyword(s):  
Market Access ◽  
Credit Market ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Household Debt ◽  
Economic Insecurity ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Additional Income

Balancing finances is a complicated and precarious act for many U.S. households, with constant concerns that income will not be enough. What happens when households are no longer able to keep up this balancing act? This research draws on 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances data to examine varying experiences of economic insecurity, measured as whether a household’s expenses exceeded its income in the previous year, and households’ strategies for managing economic insecurity. The author explores the ties among economic security, household debt burdens, and credit market access. By comparing the actual strategies that insecure households used to weather insecurity with the hypothetical strategies proposed by more secure households, the findings show that the resources that protect against insecurity also influence how households manage it. Although most insecure households relied on borrowing when their spending exceeded their incomes, secure households most often recommended spending from savings or finding additional income.

Perceived Income Changes, Saving Motives, and Household Savings

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Hyun Shin ◽  
Kyoung Tae Kim
Keyword(s):  
Great Recession ◽  
The United States ◽  
Household Savings ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Negative Income ◽  
Income Shock ◽  
Saving Decisions

Using the 2007–2009 Survey of Consumer Finances panel dataset, we investigate whether and how changes in perceived income and saving motives are related to demand for household savings in the United States after the Great Recession. Households that perceive their current income as lower, relative to normal years are less likely to save than those who view that their income is the same as the reference point. This result holds only for those who experienced a significant negative income shock during the Great Recession. Among five major saving motives, saving for an emergency is an important factor in explaining the likelihood of saving. This study suggests that financial planners and educators should pay close attention to the role of households’ income perception and saving motives and should account for the resulting potential psychological biases in households’ saving decisions.

Fatalistic Tendencies: An Explanation of Why People Don't Save

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Wu
Keyword(s):  
World Values Survey ◽  
Household Savings ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
Savings Behavior ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
And Control ◽  
Do So

Abstract This paper uses data from the 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) and the 2000 World Values Survey (WVS) to analyze the role of fatalism in determining household savings behavior. SCF respondents who feel that luck has played an important role in their financial affairs are more likely to realize their need to save, but are less likely to actually do so. Cross-country evidence from the WVS shows that those who believe they have little freedom and control over their lives are also less likely to save. The results hold after controlling for a number of demographic and behavioral factors, and are consistent across income and wealth levels.

scholarly journals Owner-Occupied Housing: Life-Cycle Implications for the Household Portfolio

2011 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 609-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie Flavin ◽  
Takashi Yamashita
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Adjustment Cost ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
State Variable ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Household Portfolio ◽  
Portfolio Decision ◽  
Lower Ratio ◽  
House Value

The paper constructs a model of optimal portfolio allocation incorporating the role of housing as collateral. Current house value is a state variable in the portfolio decision due to a nonconvex adjustment cost. Holding risk aversion constant, the percentage of the portfolio held in stocks is decreasing in the ratio of house value to net wealth; thus an older household with a lower ratio of house value to net wealth will generally hold more its portfolio in stocks than younger households. Empirical results using the Survey of Consumer Finances confirm the quantitative and statistical significance of the housing state variable.

Evaluation of Fiscal Policy Effect of China’s Photovoltaic Industry

2018 ◽  
pp. 111-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang AN ◽  
Hang WANG
Keyword(s):  
Fiscal Policy ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Operating Performance ◽  
Fiscal Policies ◽  
Micro Data ◽  
Policy Effect ◽  
Policy Suggestions ◽  
Asset Size ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

To explore the role of fiscal policies in promoting the development of photovoltaic industry, the effects of financial subsidies on the development of China’s photovoltaic industry were analyzed by using the micro data of listed companies. The empirical analysis results in this study indicate that the fiscal policies represented by financial subsidies play a remarkable positive impetus function and financial subsidies are positively correlated with the operating performance of Photovoltaic enterprises. With larger the asset size and higher the Research and Development (R&D) investments, the operating performance of Photovoltaic enterprises is the better. Based on the above results, this study puts forward some policy suggestions on optimizing fiscal policy tools and further promoting the development of photovoltaic industry.

1963 Survey of Consumer Finances.

1965 ◽  
Vol 60 (309) ◽  
pp. 370
Author(s):  
James C. Byrnes ◽  
George Katona ◽  
Charles A. Lininger ◽  
Eva Mueller
Keyword(s):  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
Consumer Finances

The Risk Tolerance Measure in the 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances: New, But Is It Improved?

2021 ◽  
pp. JFCP-19-00022
Author(s):  
Kyoung Tae Kim ◽  
Sherman D. Hanna ◽  
Dongyue Ying
Keyword(s):  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Risk Tolerance ◽  
Stock Ownership ◽  
Survey Of Consumer Finances ◽  
Consumer Finances ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
Complex Patterns ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Different Levels

The Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) has included a 4-level risk tolerance measure since 1983. In 2016, the SCF also included an 11-level risk tolerance measure. We compare the two measures, and develop suggestions for using the new measure. While the new measure is seemingly simpler than the old measure, we demonstrate that it does not have a monotonic relationship with owning stock assets, with a pattern similar to the relationship of the old measure to stock ownership. We also identify complex patterns of factors related to different levels of the new measure, for instance education has a negative relationship at one level but positive at another level. Those using the new measure should consider the complex patterns we demonstrate.

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