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What's Behind "Inflation Perceptions"? A Survey-Based Analysis of Italian Consumers

Author

Listed:
  • Paolo del Giovane
  • Silvia Fabiani
  • Roberto Sabbatini

    (Bank of Italy, Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy Department)

Abstract

This study investigates inflation perceptions, and their relationship with factors likely to affect them, through a survey of a representative sample of Italian consumers. The results show that reported inflation is, on average, much higher than measured by official statistics. Inflation perceptions are higher for women, the unemployed and less educated individuals, as well as for consumers with some forms of financial distress. A very low knowledge of the inflation concept and related statistics and an inaccurate memory of past prices turn out to play a significant role in explaining the highest class of perceptions. These results suggest that when consumers express their opinions on what they report as “inflation”, they are incorporating a complex combination of forces that go well beyond the phenomena measured by official inflation statistics.

Suggested Citation

  • Paolo del Giovane & Silvia Fabiani & Roberto Sabbatini, 2009. "What's Behind "Inflation Perceptions"? A Survey-Based Analysis of Italian Consumers," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 68(1), pages 25-52, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gde:journl:gde_v68_n1_p25-52
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lena Dräger, 2015. "Inflation perceptions and expectations in Sweden – Are media reports the missing link?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 77(5), pages 681-700, October.
    2. Easaw, Joshy & Golinelli, Roberto & Malgarini, Marco, 2013. "What determines households inflation expectations? Theory and evidence from a household survey," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 1-13.
    3. Allen N. Berger & Felix Irresberger & Raluca A. Roman, 2020. "Bank Size and Household Financial Sentiment: Surprising Evidence from University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(S1), pages 149-191, October.
    4. Lena Vogel & Jan-Oliver Menz & Ulrich Fritsche, 2009. "Prospect Theory and Inflation Perceptions - An Empirical Assessment," Macroeconomics and Finance Series 200903, University of Hamburg, Department of Socioeconomics.
    5. Reiche, Lovisa & Meyler, Aidan, 2022. "Making sense of consumer inflation expectations: the role of uncertainty," Working Paper Series 2642, European Central Bank.
    6. Cristina Conflitti & Roberta Zizza, 2018. "What�s behind firms� inflation forecasts?," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 465, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    7. Ashima Goyal & Prashant Mehul Parab, 2019. "Modeling Consumers' Confidence and Inflation Expectations," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(3), pages 1817-1832.
    8. Nikoleta Anesti & Vania Esady & Matthew Naylor, 2024. "Food prices matter most: Sensitive household inflation expectations," Discussion Papers 2434, Centre for Macroeconomics (CFM).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    inflation; consumers; perceptions; euro;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation

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