Download This PaperAll by Myself? Testing Descriptive Social Norm-Nudges to Increase Flood Preparedness among Homeowners
Behavioural Public Policy, First View , pp. 1 - 33 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/bpp.2021.17
45 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2020 Last revised: 3 May 2021
Date Written: November 27, 2020
Abstract
Nudges based on social norms (norm-nudges) can be compelling behavioral interventions compared to traditional interventions such as taxes and regulations, but they do not work in all circumstances. We tested two empirical norm-nudge frames in an online experiment on taking measures for flood preparedness with large samples of homeowners (N =1805) in two European countries, to evaluate the possible interactions between norm-nudge effectiveness, individual characteristics and intercultural differences. We contrasted these norm-nudge treatments with a control and norm focusing treatment by asking respondents to express their beliefs about what other respondents would do before making a decision relevant to their own payoff. We find no evidence of a treatment effect, suggesting that our social norm-nudges do not affect flood preparedness in the context of a flood risk investment game.
Keywords: Flood preparedness, Homeowners, Lab-in-the-field experiment, Norm-nudge
JEL Classification: B41, C91, C93
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation