Citizens’ support for behavioural public policy and trust in government: evidence from two online experiments

Abstract

We explore citizens’ support for behavioral interventions by distinguishing interventions that exploit citizens’ bounded rationality through choice architecture (Nudge) from those that challenge bounded rationality by promoting reflection through deliberative forums (Think). We also examine the role of trust in government in shaping these preferences. Findings from two experiments involving 3,010 US participants show that citizens are more willing to support Think rather than Nudge. Whereas the adoption of Nudge, as compared to Think, does not seem to influence trust in government, encouraging higher levels of trust in government has a stronger effect on support for Nudge than for Think.

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