Research
Published articles (peer-reviewed)
Kahneman in Quotes and Reflections
(with Brett Buttliere, Alexios Arvanitis, Michał Białek, Shoham Choshen-Hillel, Shai Davidai, Thomas Gilovich, Uriel Haran, Qiao Kang Teo, Vojtech Kotrba, Chengwei Liu, David Mandel, Gordon Pennycook, Tobias R. Rebholz, Michael Schulte-Mecklenbeck, Norbert Schwarz, Zeev Shtudiner, Steven Sloman, Joakim Sundh, Cass Sunstein, Daniel Västfjäll and Mario Weick)
2024. Psychological Inquiry, 35(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2024.2366813
Work in Progress
Do monetary incentives damage social esteem? An empirical framework to detect crowding-out potential for prosocial behaviours
(with Daniele Nosenzo and Silvia Sonderegger)
Status: Working paper coming soon. Current draft available upon request.
Abstract:
Monetary incentives sometimes backfire and "crowd out" prosocial behaviour. A standard explanation is that monetary incentives reduce the social esteem received from taking a prosocial action. However, because social esteem is not readily observable, there is a lack of direct empirical evidence confirming and measuring this mechanism. We propose a novel, portable, and incentive-compatible methodology to measure the social esteem received from prosocial behaviours. Our methodology is based on vignettes and incentivized second-order beliefs, and it provides a potential toolkit to identify when monetary incentives are more likely to backfire before implementing them. We run a high-powered pre-registered experiment with a UK sample (N = 5,368) within the context of COVID-19 vaccinations. Following our theoretical setup, we specifically focus on comparing (i) reward vs. penalty, (ii) small vs. large monetary incentives, and (iii) low vs. high baseline vaccination rates. We observe significant reduction in social esteem from monetary incentives, but only in the case of rewards. The size of the incentive and the baseline vaccination rate seem to matter little. Using our experimental results, we estimate how much an individual needs to value social esteem over money to be "crowded out" in our setup.
In it together: The impact of misperceptions of collective efforts on eco-friendly behaviors, norms and support for restrictive and taxing policies
(with Francesco Fallucchi, Philippe Van Kerm and Bertrand Verheyden)
Status: Manuscript in preparation
This paper is part of a large-scale project called SOC2050. Here is a 3 min video presentation of the project findings, including those covered in this paper.
Abstract:
This paper examines the influence of inaccurate perceptions on sustainable behaviors, norms and policy support through a longitudinal study conducted in Luxembourg over one year and three waves. We identify widespread pluralistic ignorance in several key areas: participants underestimated others' behaviors and norms related to animal protein consumption, public and soft transport usage, home heating, and carbon offset donations. They also underestimated support for restrictive and taxing policies. To address these misperceptions, we implemented information treatments aimed at correcting participants' beliefs. These treatments effectively shifted personal norms, behaviors, and policy support concerning animal protein consumption, with effects persisting after three months. However, the treatments had a limited impact on other behavioral domains. Our findings suggest that individuals are more likely to update their attitudes and behaviors when the changes are less costly to adopt.
Induced threat and gender norms
(with Sakshi Prasad)
Status: Preparing for data collection
Misperceptions and intergroup cooperation
(with Pierce Gately)
Status: Design stage
Policy Reports
(with Bertrand Verheyden, Michel Tenikue, Philippe Van Kerm, Francesco Fallucchi and David Cristelo)
2024. Luxembourg Stratégie, Ministry of Economy.
The SOC2050 study, commissioned by Luxembourg Strategy and conducted by LISER from November 2022 to August 2023, assessed the citizens’ interest in transitioning society and the economy in Luxembourg towards greater resilience and sustainability. This initiative contributes to the United Nations Goal – Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG12).
This report describes the final results of the longitudinal online survey conducted in SOC2050. This study surveyed 912 individuals who participated in a three-wave study over 10 months and who provided rich information about their behaviours and attitudes toward sustainability. Four domains were selected for their major impact on sustainability and their carbon footprint: meat consumption, mobility patterns, home energy consumption, and the acceptance of financial sacrifices to reduce one’s carbon impact. The survey also collected in each wave participants’ support towards six hypothetical policies aimed at regulating or taxing unsustainable behaviours.