Viewpoint: Effectiveness or consumer acceptance? Tradeoffs in selecting healthy eating nudges

Romain Cadario () and Pierre Chandon
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Romain Cadario: DRM - Dauphine Recherches en Management - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Pierre Chandon: INSEAD - Institut Européen d'administration des Affaires

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Abstract: Governments and companies that want to promote healthier eating must consider both the effectiveness and the acceptance of the ‘nudges' given to consumers. Our review of the literature uncovers a wide range of nudges towards healthy eating, from nutrition labeling to portion size reductions, which are found to vary greatly in effectiveness and levels of public acceptance (64% of women; 52% of men). Acceptance of a nudge is inversely related to its effectiveness: only 43% of respondents approved the most effective intervention – portion and package size reductions. Approval levels increased with the perceived effectiveness of the nudge and with the perception that the nudge is good for both health and business (as opposed to only one of the two), especially among respondents who identify as conservatives. To encourage acceptance of the most effective nudge strategies, governments and companies should therefore correct misconceptions about which nudges work best, and should underscore the win-win potential for health and business.

Keywords: Nudges; Choice architecture; Healthy eating; Public opinion; Effectiveness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-05
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02508983v1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Published in Food Policy, 2019, 85, pp.1-6. ⟨10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.04.002⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02508983

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2019.04.002

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