A computational theory of willingness to exchange, ESRI working paper no. 477, January 2014

A new model of exchange is presented following Marr’s conception of a “computational theory”. The model combines assumptions from perceptual theory and economic theory to develop a highly generalised formal model. The approach departs from previous models by focussing not on how ownership alters preferences, but instead on difficulties inherent in the process of exchange in real markets. Agents treat their own perceptual uncertainty when valuing a potential exchange item as a signal regarding the variability of potential bids and offers. The analysis shows how optimising agents, with no aversion to risk or loss, will produce an endowment effect of variable degree, in line with empirical findings. The model implies that the endowment effect is not a laboratory finding that may not occur in real markets, but rather a market phenomenon that may not occur in the laboratory

GET BACK IN THE GAME: SPORT, THE RECESSION AND KEEPING PEOPLE ACTIVE. ESRI Research Bulletin 2010/1/3

International research has established that the importance of physical activity for health is more serious than its role in the “obesity epidemic”, which inspires so much commentary. Physical activity reduces the risk of various cancers, coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes, and improves skeletal health. A major part of the overall physical activity of adults consists of sport and recreational physical exercise. To the extent that sports policy has the ability to increase participation in sport and exercise, there is consequently a sound justification for spending public money on it

GETTING OUT WHAT YOU PUT IN: An Evaluation of Public Investment in Irish Sport. RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 4 OCTOBER 2008

This paper presents an economic analysis of the returns to public investment in Irish sport, which has increased dramatically over the past decade. It combines figures on spending by central government and state agencies with a relatively new and rapidly expanded body of research on participation in sport. The aim is to use what has become a substantial evidence base to assess whether Irish sports policy is likely to meet its stated aims of improving health and quality of life. Empirical findings support the view that there are significant health and social benefits to be had from participation in sport. However, the analysis challenges the way current policy addresses three trade-offs in the allocation of resources: the balance between “elite” and “grassroots” sport; the trade-off between investment in sporting facilities (physical capital) and participation programmes (human and social capital); and the allocation of public money across the range of different sporting activities. In each case, given the stated aims of policy and the evidence base, it is difficult to justify the current position. The paper concludes that the allocation of public investment in sport needs to be updated in light of recent findings

GET SUBJECT SPORT -The Games We Used to Play An Application of Survival Analysis to the Sporting Life-course. ESRI WP272. January 2009

In the absence of longitudinal data, recall data is used to examine participation in sport. Techniques of survival analysis are adapted and applied to illuminate the dynamics of sporting life. The likelihood of participation has a distinct pattern across the life-course, rising to a peak at 15 years of age, falling sharply in late teenage years and more gradually during adulthood. Logistic regressions and Cox regressions reveal strong effects on participation of gender, cohort and socioeconomic status, which vary over the life-course and by type of sport. The findings add significantly to previous work and have implications for policymakers wishing to increase physical activity

GOLF IN IRELAND: A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF PARTICIPATION. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 63 MAY 2017

This report, commissioned by the Confederation of Golf in Ireland, provides evidence relating to the level of participation in golf in Ireland and the factors that underpin it. Four data sources are used – three from the Republic of Ireland and one from Northern Ireland. In addition, the report reviews evidence for the positive contribution made by golf to physical activity, health and wellbeing. The analysis assesses patterns of participation in golf over time and by social group, as well as exploring people’s motivations and patterns of playing. The analysis examines both active participation in golf, i.e. physically playing the game, and social participation in the form of club membership and attendance at events. The primary purpose is to provide helpful evidence for the various organisations involved in managing and administering golf in Ireland. Below we summarise some of the key findings and policy implications. Additional findings, details and discussion of policy implications are to be found in the body of the report

The Position of Calories on Menus Influences How Much People Eat. ESRI Research Bulletin 2019/15

High levels of obesity worldwide have led to calls for calorie information to be put on food menus. Ireland’s Obesity Policy and Action Plan commits the government to introduce legislation on calorie posting. In advance of this measure, some restaurants have adopted voluntary policies and put calories on their menus already. However, the size of the calorie information and where it is placed on the menu differs across restaurants. This may matter, because research in behavioural economics suggests that, in general, the size, colour and location of information affects how people respond to it. In research funded by the Department of Health, the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit designed an experiment to test how the location of calorie information on menus affects whether consumers notice calorie information and how much they order, eat and understand

SPORTING LIVES: AN ANALYSIS OF A LIFETIME OF IRISH SPORT. RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 2 APRIL 2008

This report analyses participation in sport over the lifetimes of the current generation of Irish adults. It reveals strong trends. Compared with older generations, current young adults played more sport as children and are continuing to play more as adults. The mix of sports people play is changing too, with particularly strong increases in individual sports and exercise activities (swimming, gym, jogging etc.) relative to traditional team sports. In particular, Gaelic games are in relative decline – participation is merely steady, while for most other sports it is growing substantially. Looking at participation right across the lifespan also sheds light on the gender and socio-economic gaps in participation. Given similar childhood experience, men and women are as likely to take up or drop out from sport as adults. The gender gap has its roots in childhood, where boys play much more sport from a very young age. Contrastingly, the socio-economic gap also starts young but continues to widen in adulthood. Those of lower educational attainment and income are more likely to drop out and less likely to take up new sports. These differences matter, as the analysis shows that health benefits accrue to those who play sport and to a significant degree are retained by those who used to play but no longer do. Overall, the strong trends identified suggest that sports policy needs to adapt if it is keep up with the changes occurring in grassroots Irish sport

Supporting decision-making in retirement planning: do diagrams on pension benefit statements help? ESRI Research Bulletin 2019/09

This study used a controlled experiment to test whether explanatory diagrams can improve comprehension of pensions and increase willingness to contribute to a pension. The study was undertaken by the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit in collaboration with the Pensions Authority. Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures show that just 36% of 25-34 year-olds in employment have a pension plan. Even workers who do have a plan face replacement rates (income after retirement as a proportion of income before retirement) well below the recommended 70%. International research suggests that failure to understand how pensions work contributes to this picture. Meanwhile, evidence from educational psychology shows that, across multiple areas of learning, comprehension can be improved by diagrams. We therefore tested whether the inclusion of explanatory diagrams on a pension benefit statement (PBS) could, first, improve understanding of how pensions work and, second, increase willingness to contribute to a pension

Consumers struggle to choose new types of electricity tariffs, but comparison tools can help1. ESRI Research Bulletin March 2020/06

The introduction of smart meters in Ireland will soon allow consumers to choose new types of electricity tariffs. Time-of-use tariffs charge different prices for electricity at different times of the day. While these tariffs can help consumers save money on their energy bills, their introduction will make energy tariff choices in Ireland more complicated. In collaboration with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), the ESRI’s Behavioural Research Unit undertook a controlled behavioural experiment with a sample of the Irish consumers, to explore their tariff choices. It tested how likely consumers will be to choose new tariffs over existing and simpler tariffs, as well as testing their ability to choose the best tariff for their own electricity usage. The study also pre-tested online tools designed to help consumers make better energy choices

The effect of spatial position of calorie information on choice, consumption and attention. ESRI WP615, February 2019

We report a “lab-in-the-field” experiment designed to test the impact of posting calories on menus. The study adds substantially to previous work by testing different spatial arrangements of price and calorie information. Choices were real, not hypothetical, and participants were unaware that their lunch choice was part of a study, even though their eye-movements were being tracked. Participants exposed to calorie information ordered 93 fewer calories (11%) relative to a control group. The impact was strongest when calorie information was presented on menus just to the right of the price, in an equivalent font. The difference in number of calories consumed was greater still. These effects were mediated by knowledge of the amount of calories in the meal, implying that calorie posting led to more informed decision making. There was no impact on enjoyment of the meal. Eye-tracking data suggested that this arrangement altered the decision process such that greater decision weight was given to calorie content