The effectiveness of nudging: A meta-analysis of choice architecture interventions across behavioral domains

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Over the past decade, choice architecture interventions or so-called nudges have received widespread attention from both researchers and policy makers. Built on insights from the behavioral sciences, this class of behavioral interventions focuses on the design of choice environments that facilitate personally and socially desirable decisions without restricting people in their freedom of choice. Drawing on more than 200 studies reporting over 450 effect sizes (n = 2,149,683), we present a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions across techniques, behavioral domains, and contextual study characteristics. Our results show that choice architecture interventions overall promote behavior change with a small to medium effect size of Cohen’s d = 0.45 (95% CI [0.39, 0.52]). In addition, we find that the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions varies significantly as a function of technique and domain. Across behavioral domains, interventions that target the organization and structure of choice alternatives (decision structure) consistently outperform interventions that focus on the description of alternatives (decision information) or the reinforcement of behavioral intentions (decision assistance). Food choices are particularly responsive to choice architecture interventions, with effect sizes up to 2.5 times larger than those in other behavioral domains. Overall, choice architecture interventions affect behavior relatively independently of contextual study characteristics such as the geographical location or the target population of the intervention. Our analysis further reveals a moderate publication bias toward positive results in the literature. We end with a discussion of the implications of our findings for theory and behaviorally informed policy making.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere2107346118
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume119
Issue number1
Number of pages10
ISSN0027-8424
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 04.01.2022
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

    Research areas

  • Behavior change, Behavioral insights, Choice architecture, Meta-analysis, Nudge
  • Psychology

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Thanking and responding to thanks in American English: Language patterning and contextual appropriateness
  2. Datenkritik
  3. Home/Fronts
  4. Patterns of International Organization
  5. Placing Brazil's grasslands and savannas on the map of science and conservation
  6. Technology Implementation in Pre-Service Science Teacher Education Based on the Transformative View of TPACK: Effects on Pre-Service Teachers' TPACK, Behavioral Orientations and Actions in Practice
  7. Swarm Robotics, or: The Smartness of 'a bunch of cheap dumb things'
  8. Existential insecurity and deference to authority
  9. Ein un(mögliches) Programm
  10. Assessing the Bonding Interface Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Bobbin Tool Friction Stir Welded Dissimilar Aluminum Alloy Joints
  11. Influences of yttrium content on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg–Ca–Y–Zr alloys
  12. Exploring the Use of the Pronoun I in German Academic Texts with Machine Learning
  13. Functionality or Aesthetics?
  14. Landscape fluidity - a unifying perspective for understanding and adapting to global change
  15. Model of mobility demands for future short distance public transport systems
  16. Using rating scales for the assessment of physical self-concept
  17. A control strategy for electromagnetic near and far field calculation
  18. where paintings live
  19. Investigation of temperature evolution and flash formation at AA5083 studs during friction surfacing
  20. It is not what it is
  21. Understanding spam
  22. Do limiting factors at Alaskan treelines shift with climatic regimes?
  23. Sustainability in Business: Integrated Management of Value Creation and Disvalue Mitigation
  24. Introduction
  25. Assuring a safe, secure and sustainable space environment for space activities

Press / Media

  1. Grundversorgung 2.0?