PUBLIC ATTITUDE IN THE NETHERLANDS TOWARDS CARTELS IN COMPARISON TO OTHER ECONOMIC INFRINGEMENTS‡

We investigate the public attitude towards cartels in the Netherlands in comparison with other economic infringements. We examine this in a survey on several types of economic infringements. We find that cartels are considered serious offenses in the Netherlands. People generally think that cartels are not allowed, consider them immoral, and have negative consequences for society. However, on average, most other infringements are considered more serious, are less allowed, more immoral, and have more negative consequences for society than cartel behavior. Furthermore, we find that the considered seriousness of an infringement is explained by people’s personal norms, followed by the infringement’s consequences, whether people think the infringement is allowed and to what extent it has direct impact on people. JEL: L41