Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/285374 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
ifso working paper No. 33
Publisher: 
University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute for Socio-Economics (ifso), Duisburg
Abstract: 
We conduct a survey to test for concerns about relative standing based on a large sample of the German population. Our survey approach asks respondents to choose between two hypothetical states of the world, in which they receive either a larger relative endowment or a larger absolute endowment that leaves them worse off in comparison to others. We receive the highest shares of positional answers for household income and one's children's IQ. We show that respondents with a larger social comparison orientation are significantly more likely to indicate positional preferences. This finding is robust despite some limited evidence that unintended alternative explanations based on feelings of material deprivation, feeling overworked, respondents' work ethic and environmental concerns affect respondents' choice.
Subjects: 
Social Comparisons
Positionality
Survey Data
JEL: 
C90
D63
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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