We introduce a novel survey measure of attitude towards debt. Matching our survey results with panel data on Swedish household balance sheets from registry data, we show that our measure of debt attitude helps to explain individual variation in indebtedness as well as debt build-up and spending behavior in the period 2004–2007. As an explanatory variable, debt attitude compares well with a number of other determinants of debt, including education, risk-taking, and financial literacy. We also provide evidence that suggests that debt attitude is passed down along family lines and has a cultural element.

中文翻译：

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对债务的态度和债务行为*

我们引入了一种新的债务态度调查措施。将我们的调查结果与来自注册数据的瑞典家庭资产负债表的面板数据相匹配，我们表明我们对债务态度的衡量有助于解释 2004-2007 年期间债务以及债务积累和支出行为的个体差异。作为一个解释变量，债务态度与许多其他债务决定因素相比较，包括教育、冒险和金融知识。我们还提供证据表明，债务态度是沿家族传承下来的，并且具有文化因素。