Why Nudges Work (and for Whom): Mechanisms and Heterogeneity in Digital Service Adoption

Summary of Funding:
• SSHRC Insights Grant: CAD $180,000 (Under Review)

Project Description:

Nudges, or behavioral interventions, are widely used by governments and firms worldwide to promote positive behaviors across domains including health, sustainability, and digital service adoption. However, to date, most behavioral research has focused on average effects, overlooking important differences across populations, which may hinder the development of optimally effective and equitable interventions. Moreover, most behavioral field studies stop short of investigating why their top performing nudges work. Concerningly, research finds some interventions that work in one instance do not always scale
or replicate elsewhere. For nudges to function as reliable policy tools, we must know not only whether they work, but for whom, under what conditions, and through which mechanisms.

This project directly addresses these questions in the context of digital government services, where uptake is uneven and adoption gaps persist. It moves beyond average treatment effects to provide one of the first policy-relevant tests of heterogeneity across multiple nudges, and to investigate the psychological processes behind their effectiveness. In addition, it will assess how interventions can improve adoption among underserved groups such as rural residents, seniors, and low-income households.