Working Paper: NBER ID: w17018
Authors: jeffrey r brown; arie kapteyn; olivia s mitchell
Abstract: Eligible participants in the U.S. Social Security system may claim benefits anytime from age 62-70, with benefit levels actuarially adjusted based on the claiming age. This paper shows that individual intentions with regard to Social Security claiming ages are sensitive to how the early versus late claiming decision is framed. Using an experimental design, we find that the use of a "break-even analysis" has the very strong effect of encouraging individuals to claim early. We also show that individuals are more likely to report they will delay claiming when later claiming is framed as a gain, and when the information provides an anchoring point at older, rather than younger, ages. Moreover, females, individuals with credit card debt, and workers with lower expected benefits are more strongly influenced by framing. We conclude that some individuals may not make fully rational optimizing choices when it comes to choosing a claiming date.
Keywords: framing effects; social security; claiming behavior; behavioral economics
JEL Codes: D03; D12; D14; H55
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| framing effects (D91) | expected social security claiming behavior (H55) |
| breakeven analysis frame (M21) | expected claiming age (J26) |
| neutral frame (Y20) | expected claiming age (J26) |
| later claiming framed as gain (Y60) | delay in claiming (D15) |
| demographics (females, credit card debt, lower expected benefits) (G51) | sensitivity to framing (D91) |