Real-Time Feedback and Social Comparison Reports Impact Resource Use and Welfare: Evidence From a Field Experiment

Mark A. Andor (), Lorenz Goette (), Michael K. Price (), Anna Schulze-Tilling () and Lukas Tomberg ()

CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series from University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany

Abstract: We compare the behavior and welfare effects of two popular behavioral interventions for resource conservation. The first intervention is social comparison reports (SC), primarily providing consumers with information motivating behavioral change. The second intervention is real-time feedback (RTF), primarily providing consumers with information facilitating behavioral change. In a field experiment with around 1,000 participants, SC reduces water and energy use per shower by 9.4%, RTF by 28.8%, and the combination of both interventions by 35.0%. Participants’ willingness to pay for RTF and the combination is higher than for SC. We find that all interventions enhance welfare.

Keywords: Resource Conservation; Welfare; Real-time Feedback; Social Comparison; Behavioral Intervention; Field Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C93 D12 Q25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 68
Date: 2025-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dcm, nep-env, nep-exp and nep-nud
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