From Theory to Action: Evaluating How (Digital) Nudges Influence Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Abstract

Everyday actions of people across various settings can lead to environmental issues. These automatically performed actions are overlooked in the traditional economics. Therefore, it is crucial to identify and understand pro-environmental behaviors. On the other hand, behavioral economics offers insights into cognitive constraints affecting these kinds of behaviors and develops nudges that take human beings' limited rationality into account. Therefore the study underscores the significance of nudges as empirical tools in behavioral economics for building a sustainable world and laying the foundation for pro-environmental behaviors. In this context, it examines the emerging significance of nudges in digital settings, analyzing their applications in this domain. Conducting an extensive literature review, this study categorizes pro-environmental behaviors as energy conservation, waste reduction & recycling, and sustainable consumption. Sustainable consumption is divided into grocery shopping, travel decisions, fashion & makeup choices. The research makes the importance of behavioral economics apparent by acknowledging the automatic nature of many pro-environmental behaviors and addressing the pervasive attitude-behavior gap. Consequently, by investigating the impact of both physical and digital nudges, this article offers a practical response to empirical evidence on promoting pro-environmental behavior responsible actions.