Are defaults supportive of autonomy? An examination of nudges under the lens of Self-Determination Theory

Abstract

Nudges, one of the rapidly growing law-making and public policy tools, are considered by their proponents to have a generally neutral effect on autonomy. Our study is the first to test nudges under the prism of Self-Determination Theory, a motivational theory which posits that autonomy is a basic psychological need. We focus on a specific type of nudge, defaults, and test it within the context of making a choice among a hypothetical set of insurance programs for post-graduate students.Results show that the experience of an Internal Perceived Locus of Causality (I-PLOC) is negatively affected by defaults when the number of options is low but there is no effect when it is high. In other words, people are less likely to view themselves as the origin of their choices when defaults are in place and when options are manageable. The experience of an I-PLOC has a positive effect on self-regulation and vitality, partially mediated by perceived competence. We suggest that since even mild manipulations show an undermining effect on autonomy, the so-called 'libertarian paternalistic' interventions should be evaluated on the basis of their effect on basic need satisfaction, self-regulation and vitality, all of which are associated with autonomy according to Self-Determination Theory.

Experiencing default nudges: autonomy, manipulation, and choice-satisfaction as judged by people themselves

“…First, one experiment by Arvanitis et al (2020) indicates that opt-out default nudges may be detrimental to people's experienced autonomy. In their study, participants faced a hypothetical choice of health insurance plans.…”

Beyond the ticked box: organ donation decision-making under different registration systems

“…The rationale being that in defaults, options generally do not change and therefore the freedom of choice should not change. However, previous studies suggest otherwise and show that nudges can in fact undermine people's autonomy (Arvanitis et al, 2019). This is an ethical concern and it could also influence the success of an opt-out system in terms of donors, as frustration about the unmet need for autonomy could even lead to reactance (e.g., registering as non-donor as a form of protest) (Van Petegem et al, 2015).…”

Options to design more ethical and still successful default nudges: a review and recommendations

“…The frame describes the choice and the default structures, thereby addressing automatic and cognitive elements of decision-making. In fact, many researchers have complemented their default by a default frame, usually referring to the whole intervention as one default (Momsen & Stoerk, 2014;Dogruel et al, 2017;Fonseca & Grimshaw, 2017;van Kleef et al, 2018;Arvanitis et al, 2019;Schneider et al, 2019). All of the reviewed combined interventions significantly influence behavior as intended by the choice architect.…”