Unethical behavior in the field: demographic characteristics and beliefs of cheater

Alessandro Bucciol, Fabio Landini, Marco Piovesan

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

72 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

What are the individual demographic characteristics that correlate with unethical behavior? To answer this question we randomly interviewed 541 passengers who used the bus in Reggio Emilia (Italy). Exploiting the high level of fare evasion (43% without a valid ticket) we find that young individuals, males and non-European immigrants in our sample are more likely to travel without a ticket. Interestingly, traveling with other people correlates with the probability of holding a valid ticket but its effect depends on who the passenger and the others are. Finally, we find that all passengers’ beliefs on fine costs, ticket inspection frequency, and percentage of passengers without a ticket are surprisingly close to actual figures. However, cheaters perceive inspections as more frequent than those traveling with a valid ticket.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Volume93
Pages (from-to)248-257
Number of pages10
ISSN0167-2681
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Bibliographical note

Published online 19 March 2013

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