Nudge - spoiled for choice?
99.98% of all Austrians are organ donors. In Germany, by contrast, the number is only 12%. This is because in Austria, you have to actively register as an organ donor, while in Austria it's the other way around. In both countries, citizens are free to choose whether or not they want to be an organ donor. Only the default value is different, which obviously has a very significant effect.
This is precisely what the book " Nudge " is about. How can you change people's behavior without restricting their freedom of choice? Often, this can be achieved simply by changing the presentation or a default setting. Other examples from the book include:
- In a school cafeteria, the order of food displays was changed. Instead of passing unhealthy foods like fries or schnitzel first, students now passed the vegetable and salad buffet first. Even though the selection remained the same, 25% more students had vegetables and salad on their plates afterward.
- Students were first asked how satisfied they were with their lives and then how their love life was going (both on a scale of 1-10). The answers showed little correlation (correlation of 0.11). The order of the questions was changed, and the correlation rose to 0.62 because the students now had a mental anchor point against which their (dis)satisfaction was measured.
- If you're advertising energy-efficient home renovations, you should advertise with "If you don't renovate your house, you'll lose €350/year." Compared to "If you renovate your house, you'll save €350/year," you'll attract almost twice as many customers.
- Routine is everything! This is why hardly anyone changes banks, cancels their cell phone contract, or looks for a new electricity provider frequently. This is precisely why the pill contains placebos for 7 days, since "taking it every day" has led to significantly fewer unwanted pregnancies than "taking it for 3 weeks, then taking it for a week."
- Customers of a US energy provider received an ambient light that glows red when energy consumption is very high and green when it is low. These households' energy consumption has decreased by 40%.
There are many more examples on the official blog nudges.org or in the book itself. I found it very interesting how relatively simple means can be used to achieve major social shifts. Even on a small scale, it can certainly help to "nudge" people around you in a different direction. A highly recommended book!
Have fun with it & greetings,
Goal
