Project Overview

Understanding and improving pension savings by combining incentivized experiments, survey, and administrative big data -
A general employed population sample with a focus on the self-employed

Netspar Theme Project

Pension-savers are a hugely heterogeneous group with varying preferences, beliefs and biases (PBBs). In this project we provide detailed insights into PBBs in representative samples of Dutch self-employed and employees and examine the relation of PBBs to (pension-)savings decisions. In light of the general trend towards greater individual responsibility for pension-saving and the fact that the self-employed already now face substantial responsibility to accumulate savings, detailed knowledge about PBBs is essential for the development of tailor-made policies and smart pension-savings products.

Combining methods from behavioral economics, political science and data science, our project delivers this knowledge and provides input for the design of targeted policies and pension-savings products for different groups of pension-savers. With our output pension practitioners can explicitly meet the preferences of these specific groups and take their beliefs and biases into account, both within the Dutch employed population in general and within the self-employed specifically.