Who accepts nudges? nudge acceptability from a self-regulation perspective

Abstract

Background Public acceptability of nudging is receiving increasingly more attention, but studies remain limited to evaluations of aspects of the nudge itself or (inferred intentions) of the nudger. Yet, it is important to investigate which individuals are likely to accept nudges, as those who are supposed to benefit from the implementation should not oppose it. The main objective of this study was to integrate research on self-regulation and nudging, and to examine acceptability of nudges as a function of self-regulation capacity and motivation. Method Participants (N = 301) filled in questionnaires about several components of self-regulation capacity (self-control, proactive coping competence, self-efficacy, perceived control and perceived difficulty) and motivation (autonomous motivation and controlled motivation). To evaluate nudge acceptability, we used three vignettes describing three types of nudges (default, portion size, and rearrangement) that stimulated either a pro-self behavior (healthy eating) or pro-social behavior (sustainable eating) and asked participants to rate the nudges on (aspects of) acceptability. Results Results revealed that there were substantial differences in acceptability between the three types of nudges, such that the default nudge was seen as less acceptable and the rearrangement nudge as most acceptable. The behavior that was stimulated did not affect acceptability, even though the nudges that targeted healthy eating were seen as more pro-self than the nudges targeting sustainable eating. From all self-regulation components, autonomous motivation was the only measure that was consistently associated with nudge acceptability across the three nudges. For self-regulatory capacity, only some elements were occasionally related to acceptability for some nudges. Conclusion The current study thus shows that people are more inclined to accept nudges that target behaviors that they are autonomously motivated for, while people do not meaningfully base their judgments of acceptability on self-regulatory capacity.

Are You “Nudgeable”? Factors Affecting the Acceptance of Healthy Eating Nudges in a Cafeteria Setting

“…Thus far, individual psychological factors such as personality traits have rarely been assessed in the nudging context [ 28 ]. The research focus is often limited to aspects of the nudge itself or to the choice architects applying the nudge [ 41 ]. Individual psychological factors should be considered when designing nudges [ 34 ], for example, by making certain options in a decision-making context more accessible [ 2 ].…”

“…Individual psychological factors should be considered when designing nudges [ 34 ], for example, by making certain options in a decision-making context more accessible [ 2 ]. Certain psychological factors such as an individual’s autonomous motivation have been associated with nudge acceptance, revealing that individuals are more likely to accept nudges that target behavior for which they show autonomous motivation [ 41 ]. Other psychological factors such as procrastination have not yet been researched regarding nudge acceptance.…”

“…Possibly, they are caused by personal characteristics [ 33 ]. Research has also shown that the effectiveness of nudges varies in terms of their underlying mechanisms [ 41 ]. In nudge development, the underlying working mechanisms of nudges are often based on the so-called MINDSPACE framework [ 50 ].…”

“…It also remains unclear under which conditions nudges work and for whom they work [ 12 , 16 , 17 ], while more research on assessing the acceptance of nudge interventions as well as nudgeability is called for [ 17 , 53 ]. It is important to investigate who is and who is not nudgeable, to determine which individuals will benefit from nudge implementation [ 41 ]. Certain influences on nudge acceptance have been researched, some with mixed results [ 35 ] and others that have not yet been assessed even though they should be considered given previous research findings [ 34 ].…”

Healthcare workers’ acceptability of influenza vaccination nudges: Evaluation of a real-world intervention

“…A more straightforward recommendation could then be to focus on these decision assistance nudges, as they consistently scored high on acceptability. Healthcare workers also tend to be more accepting of influenza vaccination nudges they are consciously aware of, and especially when they themselves independently approve of vaccination, which nicely complements extant work ( Van Gestel et al, 2021 , Reisch and Sunstein, 2016 ). These associations were consistent across nudging categories, suggesting that some acceptability correlates transcend differences in choice architecture design (e.g., nudges that appeal to “automatic” System 1 versus “deliberative” System 2 processing; Sunstein, 2016a ).…”