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The Effect of Nudging on Compliance with Individual Prevention Measures against COVID-19: An Online Experiment on Greek University Students

Author

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  • Ioannis Emmanouil

    (Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia St., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Manolis Diamantis

    (School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 18 Aristotelous St., 26335 Patra, Greece)

  • Dimitris Niakas

    (School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 18 Aristotelous St., 26335 Patra, Greece
    Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 4 George St., Kanigos Square, 10677 Athens, Greece)

  • Vassilis Aletras

    (Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia St., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece
    School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, 18 Aristotelous St., 26335 Patra, Greece)

Abstract

Nudging has often been suggested as a means to promote health care efficiency and effectiveness by influencing behavior without restricting choice; its usefulness, however, has not been adequately assessed. We examined the effect of an altruistically framed awareness message about the novel coronavirus on the intention to comply with individual prevention measures against infection. A total of 425 Greek postgraduate students, which were randomly assigned into a treatment group and a control group, filled out a questionnaire on compliance and future intention to comply with six preventive measures. The results indicate that the altruistic message did not manage to influence the intention to comply. Moreover, compliance was positively associated with risk perception, whereas women showed both higher compliance and risk perception than men. Vulnerability to the novel coronavirus and a positive vaccination status against it were accompanied by a greater perception of risk, while one’s personal history of COVID-19 was associated with a lower intention to comply, lower risk perception, and higher health risk preferences. We conclude that nudging interventions should be evaluated before being adopted in practice, taking into account timing, target groups, and means of communication.

Suggested Citation

  • Ioannis Emmanouil & Manolis Diamantis & Dimitris Niakas & Vassilis Aletras, 2023. "The Effect of Nudging on Compliance with Individual Prevention Measures against COVID-19: An Online Experiment on Greek University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2023:i:1:p:31-:d:1306992
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, 2003. "The nature of human altruism," Nature, Nature, vol. 425(6960), pages 785-791, October.
    2. Syed Abul Basher & A. K. Enamul Haque, 2021. "Public policy lessons from the Covid-19 outbreak: How to deal with it in the post-pandemic world?," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 23(2), pages 234-247, September.
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