When Digital Nudges Nag: Evidence on Program Take-up from a WhatsApp Intervention

Maria Jose Urbina Florez, Andrés Moya and Sandra Rozo

No 11423, Policy Research Working Paper Series from The World Bank

Abstract: This paper studies a randomized controlled trial in which undocumented Venezuelan migrants in Colombia were assigned to receive informational videos via WhatsApp encouraging registration in a regularization program. The intervention backfired. Receiving a video reduced take-up by 8 percentage points, a 15 percent decline relative to the control mean. The negative effect operated through two channels. Among individuals who watched, exposure to procedural content discouraged registration. Among those who did not engage, unsolicited contact itself reduced take-up. Both effects were concentrated among individuals at the margin of the decision to participate. These findings challenge the assumption that well-designed informational nudges are, at worst, neutral.

Date: 2026-06-30
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