Paper Abstract
890. Lucia A. Reisch, Cass R. Sunstein & Wencke Gwozdz, Better than a Whip? European Attitudes Toward Health Nudges, 11/2016; forthcoming in Journal of Marketing Behavior.
Abstract: We examine whether the populations of six European nations support the use of “health nudges”--strategies that preserve free choice but steer individuals in healthier directions. To assess approval rates for health nudges across, within, and in certain parts of these populations, we analyze the results of six nationally representative online surveys administered in Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and the UK. We find majority support for health nudges across the board but with lower approval rates in Hungary and Denmark. Our findings reveal national differences and identify conditions under which consumers tend to approve of nudging healthy behavior. They therefore provide policymakers with practical guidance on which health nudges are likely to receive high levels of public support in the nation states studied.