Can self-set goals encourage resource conservation? Field experimental evidence from a smartphone app
通过大规模随机对照试验，研究在智能手机应用中让用户自行设定节能目标的效果，发现该助推措施反而降低了应用使用率，对能源消耗无显著影响，用户平均愿付7.41欧元以避免该功能。
This study leverages a large RCT to examine the potential of goal-setting nudges to encourage resource conservation at scale. We randomize a feature that allows subjects to set themselves energy consumption targets in a popular smartphone app. We document negative effects of the nudge on app utilization and estimate null effects on energy consumption with confidence intervals that rule out estimates from observational studies. A complementary survey identifies the mechanisms underlying these behavioral responses. Using a structural model and random variation of the app’s price, we estimate that the average user is willing to pay 7.41 EUR to avoid the nudge.