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Singin' in the Rain: A Study of Social Pressure on the Soccer Field

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  • Mikael Priks

Abstract

Although social pressure may affect the behavior of individuals, it is very hard to evaluate empirically. A soccer field is an attractive testing ground in the sense that both performance and social pressure by spectators are measurable. The drawback is that the number of spectators is an endogenous variable. To solve this problem, I use pre-game precipitation as an instrument for the number of spectators at Swedish soccer games as it reduces attendance but not relative performance on the field. I find that organized home supporters manage to generate home wins. Highly skilled athletes are consequently influenced by social pressure, which can also help explain the well-known home field advantage.

Suggested Citation

  • Mikael Priks, 2013. "Singin' in the Rain: A Study of Social Pressure on the Soccer Field," CESifo Working Paper Series 4481, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4481
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp4481.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stefano DellaVigna & John A. List & Ulrike Malmendier, 2012. "Testing for Altruism and Social Pressure in Charitable Giving," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 127(1), pages 1-56.
    2. Dohmen, Thomas J., 2008. "Do professionals choke under pressure?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 65(3-4), pages 636-653, March.
    3. Pettersson-Lidbom, Per & Priks, Mikael, 2010. "Behavior under social pressure: Empty Italian stadiums and referee bias," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 108(2), pages 212-214, August.
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    10. Edward Miguel & Shanker Satyanath & Ernest Sergenti, 2004. "Economic Shocks and Civil Conflict: An Instrumental Variables Approach," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 112(4), pages 725-753, August.
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Nyberg, Sten & Priks, Mikael, 2017. "Public order and private payments: Evidence from the Swedish soccer league," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 1-8.
    2. Böheim, René & Grübl, Dominik & Lackner, Mario, 2019. "Choking under pressure – Evidence of the causal effect of audience size on performance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 76-93.
    3. Fabrizio Colella & Patricio S. Dalton & Giovanni Giusti, 2024. "Moral Support and Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 70(7), pages 4614-4628, July.
    4. Wen‐Jhan Jane, 2023. "Hot hand or choking under pressure – Evidence from professional basketball," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 76(2), pages 223-254, May.
    5. Wen‐Jhan Jane, 2022. "Choking or excelling under pressure: Evidence of the causal effect of audience size on performance," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(1), pages 329-357, January.
    6. repec:tiu:tiutis:17173d9d-6768-4748-a789-54dfc771bd85 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Avner Ben-Ner & John-Gabriel Licht & Jin Park, 2017. "Bifurcated Effects of Place-of-Origin Diversity on Individual and Team Performance: Evidence from Ten Seasons of German Soccer," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 555-604, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    social pressure; bias; home-field advantage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • K40 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - General

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