Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content

Janis H. Zickfeld (), Karolina A. Ścigała, Christian T. Elbæk, John Michael, Mathilde H. Tønnesen, Gabriel Levy, Shahar Ayal, Isabel Thielmann, Laila Nockur, Eyal Peer, Valerio Capraro, Rachel Barkan, Simen Bø, Štěpán Bahník, Daniele Nosenzo, Ralph Hertwig, Nina Mazar, Alexa Weiss, Ann-Kathrin Koessler, Ronit Montal-Rosenberg, Sebastian Hafenbrädl, Yngwie Asbjørn Nielsen, Patricia Kanngiesser, Simon Schindler, Philipp Gerlach, Nils Köbis, Nicolas Jacquemet (), Marek Vranka, Dan Ariely, Jareef Bin Martuza, Yuval Feldman, Michał Białek, Jan K. Woike, Zoe Rahwan, Alicia Seidl, Eileen Chou, Agne Kajackaite, Simeon Schudy, Ulrich Glogowsky, Anna Z. Czarna, Stefan Pfattheicher and Panagiotis Mitkidis
Additional contact information
Janis H. Zickfeld: Aarhus University
Karolina A. Ścigała: Aarhus University
Christian T. Elbæk: Aarhus University
John Michael: University of Milan
Mathilde H. Tønnesen: Aarhus University
Gabriel Levy: NTNU Trondheim
Shahar Ayal: Reichman University
Isabel Thielmann: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
Laila Nockur: Aarhus University
Eyal Peer: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Valerio Capraro: University of Milan Bicocca
Rachel Barkan: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Simen Bø: Norwegian School of Economics
Štěpán Bahník: Prague University of Economics and Business
Daniele Nosenzo: Aarhus University
Ralph Hertwig: Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Nina Mazar: Boston University
Alexa Weiss: Bielefeld University
Ann-Kathrin Koessler: Leibniz University Hannover
Ronit Montal-Rosenberg: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Sebastian Hafenbrädl: University of Navarra
Yngwie Asbjørn Nielsen: Aarhus University
Patricia Kanngiesser: University of Plymouth
Simon Schindler: Federal University of Applied Administrative Sciences
Philipp Gerlach: Fresenius University
Nils Köbis: Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Marek Vranka: Charles University
Dan Ariely: Duke University
Jareef Bin Martuza: Norwegian School of Economics
Yuval Feldman: Bar Ilan University
Michał Białek: University of Wrocław
Jan K. Woike: Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Zoe Rahwan: Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Alicia Seidl: Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law
Eileen Chou: University of Virginia
Anna Z. Czarna: Jagiellonian University
Stefan Pfattheicher: Aarhus University
Panagiotis Mitkidis: Aarhus University

Nature Human Behaviour, 2025, vol. 9, issue 1, 169-187

Abstract: Abstract Dishonest behaviours such as tax evasion impose significant societal costs. Ex ante honesty oaths—commitments to honesty before action—have been proposed as interventions to counteract dishonest behaviour, but the heterogeneity in findings across operationalizations calls their effectiveness into question. We tested 21 honesty oaths (including a baseline oath)—proposed, evaluated and selected by 44 expert researchers—and a no-oath condition in a megastudy involving 21,506 UK and US participants from Prolific.com who played an incentivized tax evasion game online. Of the 21 interventions, 10 significantly improved tax compliance by 4.5 to 8.5 percentage points, with the most successful nearly halving tax evasion. Limited evidence for moderators was found. Experts and laypeople failed to predict the most effective interventions, though experts’ predictions were more accurate. In conclusion, honesty oaths were effective in curbing dishonesty, but their effectiveness varied depending on content. These findings can help design impactful interventions to curb dishonesty.

Date: 2025
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Working Paper: Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content (2024)
Working Paper: Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content (2024)
Working Paper: Effectiveness of ex ante honesty oaths in reducing dishonesty depends on content (2024)
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-02009-0

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