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Cultural Origins of Preventive Care Utilization

Bietenbeck, Jan LU ; Maschmann, Lukas LU ; Nilsson, Therese LU and Spika, Devon LU (2025) In IZA Working paper series
Abstract
We examine whether culturally transmitted time and risk preferences help explain differences in preventive health care uptake. We combine individual-level survey data from 27 European countries with country-level preference measures from the Global Preferences Survey. To isolate cultural influences from institutional and economic confounders, we focus on second-generation immigrants, who were born and currently reside in the same country -- and thus face the same institutional environment and health care system -- but whose parents originate from culturally distinct countries. We find that descendants of more patient cultures are more likely to use preventive services, while those from more risk-taking cultures are less likely to do so.... (More)
We examine whether culturally transmitted time and risk preferences help explain differences in preventive health care uptake. We combine individual-level survey data from 27 European countries with country-level preference measures from the Global Preferences Survey. To isolate cultural influences from institutional and economic confounders, we focus on second-generation immigrants, who were born and currently reside in the same country -- and thus face the same institutional environment and health care system -- but whose parents originate from culturally distinct countries. We find that descendants of more patient cultures are more likely to use preventive services, while those from more risk-taking cultures are less likely to do so. These associations appear across multiple preventive care outcomes and remain robust to a wide range of socio-demographic and country-of-origin controls. The results highlight the role of culturally shaped preferences as a subtle but systematic determinant of preventive health behavior. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Working paper/Preprint
publication status
published
subject
in
IZA Working paper series
issue
18301
ISSN
2365-9793
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e092156e-2e00-40b3-8236-aafa4c3cd696
alternative location
https://docs.iza.org/dp18301.pdf
date added to LUP
2026-03-06 08:57:23
date last changed
2026-03-06 10:59:12
@misc{e092156e-2e00-40b3-8236-aafa4c3cd696,
  abstract     = {{We examine whether culturally transmitted time and risk preferences help explain differences in preventive health care uptake. We combine individual-level survey data from 27 European countries with country-level preference measures from the Global Preferences Survey. To isolate cultural influences from institutional and economic confounders, we focus on second-generation immigrants, who were born and currently reside in the same country -- and thus face the same institutional environment and health care system -- but whose parents originate from culturally distinct countries. We find that descendants of more patient cultures are more likely to use preventive services, while those from more risk-taking cultures are less likely to do so. These associations appear across multiple preventive care outcomes and remain robust to a wide range of socio-demographic and country-of-origin controls. The results highlight the role of culturally shaped preferences as a subtle but systematic determinant of preventive health behavior.}},
  author       = {{Bietenbeck, Jan and Maschmann, Lukas and Nilsson, Therese and Spika, Devon}},
  issn         = {{2365-9793}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Working Paper}},
  number       = {{18301}},
  series       = {{IZA Working paper series}},
  title        = {{Cultural Origins of Preventive Care Utilization}},
  url          = {{https://docs.iza.org/dp18301.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}