Ambiguity and risk measures in the lab and students’ real-life borrowing behavior

Abstract

This study analyzes the external validity of experimentally elicited ambiguity aversion, likelihood insensitivity and risk aversion on real-life decision-making in the field of student loans. Our main finding is that ambiguity aversion, likelihood insensitivity and risk aversion are not related to the decision to take out a student loan nor to the amount students decide to borrow, conditional on having a loan. We discuss our results in the context of recent advances to relate lab measures of ambiguity aversion and likelihood insensitivity to real economic decisions.