Willful Ignorance and Moral Behavior

Abstract

Consumers' willful ignorance about the consequences of their actions may impede moral behavior. We test this concern in a real-world context based on a laboratory experiment and field data. We find that willful ignorance about farming practices increases consumption of meat from intensive farming, both in the laboratory and at university canteens. Individuals who prefer to avoid information are particularly responsive to it, yet their behavioral response vanishes after two weeks. Both findings demonstrate the difficulty of addressing willful ignorance through information interventions.

Keywords: Willful ignorance, Information avoidance, Morality, Information intervention, Experiment, Meat consumption

JEL Classification: C91, D12, D83