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Exploring risk attitude by a comparative experimental approach and its implication to disaster insurance practice in China

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  • Tao Ye
  • Ming Wang

Abstract

This study employs the ordered lottery selection approach with field experiment to measure risk attitude of two distinct population groups in China -- farmers in Wuhan and freelancers in media and advertising in Beijing. A comparative design was used to reveal the cross-population difference in risk attitude and its affecting factors. The results showed that both groups exhibited constant partial risk aversion and decreasing absolute risk aversion, while the farmers were more risk-averse than the freelancers. The farmer and freelancer respondents demonstrated very different sensitivity to the warming-up games types involving 'gain-only' or 'gain-loss' while extremely risk-averse respondents in the warming-up games possessed the consistent attitudinal behavior in the formal tests. The comparative experiment revealed that gender and income were two statistically significant factors affecting risk attitude and they appeared to be consistent across the two distinct groups. Surprisingly, respondents' perceived frequency of risk occurrence was not correlated to their risk attitude. Moreover, the factors of leisure and investment behavior were significantly linked to the freelancers' risk attitude but not the farmers'. The experiment also found a non-linear relationship between risk attitude and education, and receiving college education was found to be a critical switching point that was significantly linked to respondents' risk choices. While further research is needed to better understand the governing mechanism in risk attitude, perception, and behavior, this paper tried to link the experimental results to the natural disaster insurance practice in China and discussed their implication to the policy design.

Suggested Citation

  • Tao Ye & Ming Wang, 2013. "Exploring risk attitude by a comparative experimental approach and its implication to disaster insurance practice in China," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(7), pages 861-878, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jriskr:v:16:y:2013:i:7:p:861-878
    DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2012.743159
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. van den Berg, Marrit & Fort, Ricardo & Burger, Kees, 2009. "Natural Hazards And Risk Aversion: Experimental Evidence From Latin America," 2009 Conference, August 16-22, 2009, Beijing, China 51394, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
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    3. Helena Hansson & Carl Johan Lagerkvist, 2012. "Measuring farmers' preferences for risk: a domain-specific risk preference scale," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(7), pages 737-753, August.
    4. Gloede, Oliver & Menkhoff, Lukas & Waibel, Hermann, 2011. "Risk attitude and risk behavior: Comparing Thailand and Vietnam," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Berlin 2011 33, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ming Wang & Tao Ye & Peijun Shi, 2016. "Factors Affecting Farmers’ Crop Insurance Participation in China," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 64(3), pages 479-492, September.
    3. Xilin Liu & Cheng Miao, 2021. "Analysis of the acceptable risk preferences of debris-flow disasters for three-category populations and their demographic characteristics in China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 107(1), pages 971-990, May.
    4. Tao Ye & Yangbin Liu & Jiwei Wang & Ming Wang & Peijun Shi, 2017. "Farmers’ crop insurance perception and participation decisions: empirical evidence from Hunan, China," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(5), pages 664-677, May.
    5. Hao Guo & Yaoyao Wu & Yanrui Shang & Hao Yu & Jing’ai Wang, 2019. "Quantifying Farmers’ Initiatives and Capacity to Cope with Drought: A Case Study of Xinghe County in Semi-Arid China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, March.
    6. J. Nicolas Hernandez-Aguilera & Max Mauerman & Alexandra Herrera & Kathryn Vasilaky & Walter Baethgen & Ana Maria Loboguerrero & Rahel Diro & Yohana Tesfamariam Tekeste & Daniel Osgood, 2020. "Games and Fieldwork in Agriculture: A Systematic Review of the 21st Century in Economics and Social Science," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-22, October.
    7. Yaoyao Wu & Hao Guo & Jing’ai Wang, 2018. "Quantifying the Similarity in Perceptions of Multiple Stakeholders in Dingcheng, China, on Agricultural Drought Risk Governance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-21, September.

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