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Are default contributions sticky? An experimental analysis of defaults in public goods provision

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  • Cappelletti, Dominique
  • Mittone, Luigi
  • Ploner, Matteo

Abstract

Previous research provides compelling evidence that defaults affect individual behaviour in several domains. However, evidence of their influence in strategic interaction is scant. We experimentally investigate the effect of defaults on contributions to a public good and attempt to shed light on potential channels through which they operate. Our main experimental findings show that defaults influence contribution behaviour: preference for a suggested contribution significantly increases when it is presented as the default. However, this effect seems not to operate primarily through information conveyance or expectations about others’ behaviour. Default contributions, thus, appear to have an attractive power that goes beyond recommendation signals and expectation influences.

Suggested Citation

  • Cappelletti, Dominique & Mittone, Luigi & Ploner, Matteo, 2014. "Are default contributions sticky? An experimental analysis of defaults in public goods provision," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 331-342.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:108:y:2014:i:c:p:331-342
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2014.01.002
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    7. Jia Liu & Yohanes E. Riyanto, 2017. "The limit to behavioral inertia and the power of default in voluntary contribution games," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 48(4), pages 815-835, April.
    8. Robert Böhm & Özgür Gürerk & Thomas Lauer, 2020. "Nudging Climate Change Mitigation: A Laboratory Experiment with Inter-Generational Public Goods," Games, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-20, October.
    9. Roee Sarel, 2022. "Crime and punishment in times of pandemics," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 155-186, October.
    10. Bruns, Hendrik & Kantorowicz-Reznichenko, Elena & Klement, Katharina & Luistro Jonsson, Marijane & Rahali, Bilel, 2016. "Can Nudges Be Transparent and Yet Effective?," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 33, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.
    11. Schulz, Jonathan F. & Thiemann, Petra & Thöni, Christian, 2018. "Nudging generosity: Choice architecture and cognitive factors in charitable giving," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 139-145.
    12. Maxwell N. Burton-Chellew & Victoire D’Amico & Claire Guérin, 2022. "The Strategy Method Risks Conflating Confusion with a Social Preference for Conditional Cooperation in Public Goods Games," Games, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-10, October.
    13. Sarah Bonner & Tracie Majors & Stacey Ritter, 2018. "Prepopulating Audit Workpapers with Prior Year Assessments: Default Option Effects on Risk Rating Accuracy," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(5), pages 1453-1481, December.

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    Keywords

    Defaults; Public goods; Beliefs;
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