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The Impact of Regret on the Demand for Insurance
Author(s) -
Braun Michael,
Muermann Alexander
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of risk and insurance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1539-6975
pISSN - 0022-4367
DOI - 10.1111/j.0022-4367.2004.00110.x
Subject(s) - regret , deductible , actuarial science , economics , insurance policy , expected utility hypothesis , function (biology) , mathematical economics , mathematics , statistics , evolutionary biology , biology
We examine optimal insurance purchase decisions of individuals that exhibit behavior consistent with Regret Theory. Our model incorporates a utility function that assigns a disutility to outcomes that are ex post suboptimal, and predicts that individuals with regret‐theoretical preferences adjust away from the extremes of full insurance and no insurance coverage. This prediction holds for both coinsurance and deductible contracts, and can explain the frequently observed preferences for low deductibles in markets for personal insurance.