The ethics of nudging: An overview

Schmidt, Andreas T.; Engelen, Bart

doi:10.1111/phc3.12658

Cited by 177 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…These arguments, and more, have been scrutinized at length in the theoretically driven ethics debate that has flourished in the last decade (for recent overviews, see Lades & Delaney, 2020;Schmidt & Engelen, 2020). However, it can be questioned whether a nudge's level of respect for autonomy should always be assessed solely on theoretical grounds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Michaelsen

Johansson

Hedesström

2021

Behav. Public Policy

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Criticisms of nudging suggest that nudges infringe on decision makers’ autonomy. Yet, little empirical research has explored whether people who are subjected to nudges agree. In three between-group experiments (N = 2083), we subject participants to contrasting choice architectures and measure experiences of autonomy, choice-satisfaction, perceived threat to freedom of choice, and objection to the choice architecture. Participants who received a prosocial opt-out default nudge made more prosocial choices but did not report lower autonomy or choice satisfaction than participants in opt-in default or active-choice conditions. This was the case even when the presence of the nudge was disclosed, and when monetary choice stakes were introduced. With monetary choice stakes, participants perceived the threat to freedom of choice as slightly higher in the nudge condition than in the other conditions, but objection to the choice architecture did not differ between the conditions. Taken together, our results suggest that default nudges are less manipulative and autonomy-infringing than sometimes feared. We recommend that policymakers include measures of choice experiences when testing out new interventions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Michaelsen

Johansson

Hedesström

2021

Behav. Public Policy

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“…Distrust of information on health behaviours has previously been highlighted as a barrier for attaining behaviour change in community-based interventions among populations with low SEP [ 29 ] but has not been documented in the specific case of supermarket-based nudging strategies. As opponents of nudging often frame nudging as infringement on autonomous choice [ 30 ], one way to address the underlying feeling of distrust is for supermarkets to be transparent about applying nudging strategies using positive framing and to explain why, how, and with whom (e.g., governmental agencies) they participate in such initiatives. In particular, with regard to the application of information nudges, this would imply that the information provided is perceived to come from a credible source.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Food Choice and Perceptions of Supermarket-Based Nudging Interventions among Adults with Low Socioeconomic Position: The SUPREME NUDGE Project

Harbers

Middel²,

Stuber

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Nudging has received ample attention in scientific literature as an environmental strategy to promote healthy diets, and may be effective for reaching populations with low socioeconomic position (SEP). Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate how the determinants of food choice shape the perceptions regarding supermarket-based nudging strategies among adults with low SEP. We conducted semi-structured interviews among fifteen adults with low SEP using a pre-defined topic list and visual examples of nudges. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and content analysis was used to analyse the data. The results show that food costs, convenience, healthiness, taste, and habits were frequently mentioned as determinants of food choice. However, the relative importance of these determinants seemed to be context-dependent. Interviewees generally had a positive attitude towards nudges, especially when they were aligned with product preferences, information needs, and beliefs about the food environment. Still, some interviewees also expressed distrust towards nudging strategies, suspecting ulterior motives. We conclude that nudging strategies should target foods which align with product preferences and information needs. However, the suspicion of ulterior motives highlights an important concern which should be considered when implementing supermarket-based nudging strategies.

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“…Consequently, local policy makers or owners of local food stores could be encouraged to implement nudging interventions at local level. From a policy perspective, it is also of importance to consider the ethical aspects of nudging, which have been outlined previously [ 88 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of nudges on purchases, food choice, and energy intake or content of purchases in real-life food purchasing environments: a systematic review and evidence synthesis

Harbers

Beulens

Rutters

et al. 2020

Nutr J

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Background Adults with a low socioeconomic position (SEP) are more likely to engage in unhealthy diets as compared to adults with high SEP. However, individual-level educational interventions aiming to improve food choices have shown limited effectiveness in adults with low SEP. Environmental-level interventions such as nudging strategies however, may be more likely to benefit low SEP groups. We aimed to review the evidence for the effectiveness of nudges as classified according to interventions in proximal physical micro-environments typology (TIPPME) to promote healthy purchases, food choice, or affecting energy intake or content of purchases, within real-life food purchasing environments. Second, we aimed to investigate the potentially moderating role of SEP. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO until 31 January 2018. Studies were considered eligible for inclusion when they i) complied with TIPPME intervention definitions; ii) studied actual purchases, food choice, or energy intake or content of purchases, iii) and were situated in real-life food purchasing environments. Risk of bias was assessed using a quality assessment tool and evidence was synthesized using harvest plots. Results From the 9210 references identified, 75 studies were included. Studies were generally of weak to moderate quality. The most frequently studied nudges were information (56%), mixed (24%), and position nudges (13%). Harvest plots showed modest tendencies towards beneficial effects on outcomes for information and position nudges. Less evidence was available for other TIPPME nudging interventions for which the harvest plots did not show compelling patterns. Only six studies evaluated the effects of nudges across levels of SEP (e.g., educational level, food security status, job type). Although there were some indications that nudges were more effective in low SEP groups, the limited amount of evidence and different proxies of SEP used warrant caution in the interpretation of findings. Conclusions Information and position nudges may contribute to improving population dietary behaviours. Evidence investigating the moderating role of SEP was limited, although some studies reported greater effects in low SEP subgroups. We conclude that more high-quality studies obtaining detailed data on participant’s SEP are needed. Registration This systematic review is registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42018086983).

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The ethics of nudging: An overview

Cited by 177 publications

References 62 publications

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

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

Determinants of Food Choice and Perceptions of Supermarket-Based Nudging Interventions among Adults with Low Socioeconomic Position: The SUPREME NUDGE Project

The effects of nudges on purchases, food choice, and energy intake or content of purchases in real-life food purchasing environments: a systematic review and evidence synthesis

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