Nudge Theory’s Popularity May Block Insights Into Improving Society

In Portland, Ore., a bar sign offering customers free alcohol if they receive a COVID-19 vaccine

Research by David Gal, Professor of Marketing and Marketing Expert, David Rucker (Northwestern University) around nudge-theory was featured in Science News.

“Likewise, less wildly hypothetical but perhaps still far-reaching changes to society, such as expanding Social Security or providing universal parental leave, can’t be tested with conventional experiments that include control and experimental groups. As a result, many behavioral scientists today have instead turned to researching “nudges” — smaller interventions that operate within existing policies. Nudges can influence human behavior, research suggests, and can be readily tested using experiments before being applied.”