Table 2.

Bad events: comparative likelihood estimates, India.

Bad events	India
Socioeconomic status	All, N = 200		Lower, n = 100			Higher, n = 100
	% Chance for other		% Self-other difference1		Ratio2	% Self-other difference1		Ratio2
	Mean	SD	Mean	SD		Mean	SD
Committing suicide	16.58	19.61	−10.42***	16.14	7.00***	−11.10***	17.75	29.00***
Divorce	17.68	18.40	−9.80***	22.34	7.14***	−10.40***	12.14	57.00***
Going bankrupt	20.52	20.61	−3.40	18.01	2.29**	−8.80***	16.10	10.60***
Early death of spouse/partner	23.00	20.64	−3.78*	17.67	1.89*	−4.44**	17.36	3.20***
Son/daughter having a serious illness	26.36	17.78	−5.05***	15.46	2.39***	−3.44**	12.54	3.22***
Serious accident on public transport	27.26	19.68	−2.42	14.08	1.80*	−6.33***	14.24	6.20***
Being burgled	29.64	22.00	−7.63***	20.73	2.82***	−7.55***	17.06	4.63***
Getting cancer	30.20	20.45	−4.80**	17.71	2.05**	−5.35***	13.80	3.80***
Heart attack before 60	33.32	20.00	−5.10**	18.94	1.72*	−5.35**	20.32	3.00***
Financial problems	38.01	24.74	−3.57	26.02	1.33	−9.30***	19.29	4.50***
Being run over	55.13	23.63	−3.88	22.00	1.76*	−5.36***	16.33	4.44***
Average	26.09	12.81	−5.00***	8.23		−6.72***	8.32

¹% self-other difference: mean values significantly different from zero (one sample t test) are marked with asterisks (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001).

²Ratio of optimists to pessimists: values significantly different from 1 (chance distribution, χ² test) are marked with asterisks (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001).