Which nudges get support? – A quantitative analysis of the dimensions transparency and dual process theory

Policymakers have been increasingly interested in so-called ‘nudges’ which are behaviourally informed policy measures. The legitimacy and acceptability of nudging is controversially debated. In this paper, the acceptability of nudges was examined by the framework of Hansen and Jespersen (2013), which classifies nudges into four types by distinguishing on a dual process theory dimension and on an epistemic transparency dimension. An online questionnaire was developed in which 135 participants stated their support for the different types of nudges applied in the areas of health and sustainability. It was hypothesised that for both and across areas, the support would decrease in the following order: transparent system 2, transparent system 1, non-transparent system 1, and non-transparent system 2 nudges. The hypotheses could be confirmed for sustainability nudges and across application areas. Further analysis indicated that lower education, higher income, and higher environmental awareness are positively correlated with acceptance of sustainability nudges.