Here is an article that I find quite amusing about the free revealing question. Putting on their rational-man everything is a market thinking cap these researchers tackled the privacy problem. They ran a little experiment to see at what price points people would be willing to reveal
For example here’s a little table showing what percentage of their respondents demanded more than $100.00 to reveal the information mentioned:
| Percentage | Information |
|---|---|
| 48.% | Salary |
| 38.% | Savings |
| 36.% | Spousal Salary |
| 24.% | Credit Rating |
| 5.4% | Weight |
| 3.5% | Age |
The article has this great title: “Privacy and Deviance.” That pleasing title arises out their not too surprising discovery that if the respondent percieves the information he is being asked to reveal as being highy deviant compaired to the median he will demand a higher price; particularly if the value would imply a social negative. Overall it’s an fun bit of research. I just love that little be about revealing the spousal sallary.