Social comparison nudges—Guessing the norm increases charitable giving

Bartke S, Friedl A, Gelhaar F, Reh L (2017)

Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2017

Journal

Economics letters Elsevier

Pages Range: 73-75

Journal Issue: 152

URI: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176516305328

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2016.12.023

Abstract

Social comparison nudges that employ descriptive norms were found to increase charitable giving. This paper finds that individuals who receive a descriptive norm donate significantly more when they have to guess the descriptive norm beforehand. We argue that guessing draws attention to the norm and therefore increases its effectiveness. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of nudges that use descriptive norms depends on how the a priori beliefs about the descriptive norm are updated.

Authors with CRIS profile

Andreas Friedl Lehrstuhl für Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Wirtschaftstheorie

Involved external institutions

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel DE Germany (DE) Universität zu Köln DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Bartke, S., Friedl, A., Gelhaar, F., & Reh, L. (2017). Social comparison nudges—Guessing the norm increases charitable giving. Economics letters, 152, 73-75. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2016.12.023

MLA:

Bartke, Simon, et al. "Social comparison nudges—Guessing the norm increases charitable giving." Economics letters 152 (2017): 73-75.

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