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Nudging Consumers toward Healthier Food Choices: A Field Study on the Effect of Social Norms

Author

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  • Diogo Gonçalves

    (DEG-IST—Departamento de Engenharia e Gestão, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal)

  • Pedro Coelho

    (Nova School of Business and Economics, Campus de Carcavelos, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Holanda, 1, 2775-405 Carcavelos, Portugal)

  • Luis F. Martinez

    (Nova School of Business and Economics, Campus de Carcavelos, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Rua da Holanda, 1, 2775-405 Carcavelos, Portugal)

  • Paulo Monteiro

    (ESTeSL.IPL—Lisbon School of Health Technology, Av. D. João II, Lote 4.69.01, 1990-096 Lisboa, Portugal)

Abstract

Food choices influence the health of individuals, and supermarkets are the place where part of the world population makes their food choices on a daily basis. Different methods to influence food purchasing habits are used, from promotions to food location. However, very few supermarket chains use social norms, the human need to conform to the perceived behavior of the group, to increase healthy food purchase habits. This research seeks to understand how a social norm nudge, a message conveying fruit and vegetable purchasing norms positioned in strategic places, can effectively change food choices. Using data from an intervention in a Portuguese supermarket, the fruit and vegetable purchase quantities of 1636 customers were measured over three months and compared with the corresponding period of the previous year. The results show that the nudge intervention positively affected those whose purchasing habits are categorized as less healthy, while those with healthy habits were slightly negatively affected. Moreover, a follow-up inferential statistical analysis allows us to conclude that applying this intervention at a larger scale would deliver significant financial results for the supermarket chain in which the study took place, by decreasing the costs related to produce perishability while simultaneously improving the health of the consumer and the sustainability of the planet.

Suggested Citation

  • Diogo Gonçalves & Pedro Coelho & Luis F. Martinez & Paulo Monteiro, 2021. "Nudging Consumers toward Healthier Food Choices: A Field Study on the Effect of Social Norms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-14, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1660-:d:492992
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Alix Rouillé, 2023. "Norm from the top: a social norm nudge to promote low-practiced behaviors without boomerang effect," Working Papers halshs-03673004, HAL.
    2. Houman Hashemzadeh & Alireza Karbasi & Hosein Mohammadi & Ali Firoozzare & Flavio Boccia, 2022. "Investigating the Effect of Nudges on Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Genetically Modified Corn Oil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, October.
    3. Bent Egberg Mikkelsen & Frantisek Sudzina & Marek Botek & Annette Quinto Romani & Kristian Larsen, 2021. "Are Perceptions of Health Dependant on Social Class? Studying Soft Power and Symbolic Violence in a Health Promotion Program among Young Men at Vocational Schools," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-16, July.
    4. Cristian Adasme-Berríos & Rodrigo Valdes & Lisandro Roco & David Gómez & Emilia Carvajal & Camila Herrera & Joaquín Espinoza & Karla Rivera, 2022. "Segmentation of Consumer Preferences for Vegetables Produced in Areas Depressed by Drought," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-13, May.
    5. Ladislav Pilař & Lucie Kvasničková Stanislavská & Roman Kvasnička, 2021. "Healthy Food on the Twitter Social Network: Vegan, Homemade, and Organic Food," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-15, April.
    6. Aiolfi, Simone, 2023. "Green Digital Nudging and channel relationships," OSF Preprints 8wuzy, Center for Open Science.
    7. Bastola, Sapana & Penn, Jerrod & Blazier, Michael, 2022. "Assessing Hypothetical Bias in Nudging: Willingness to Pay for Consultation towards Improved Forest Management," 2022 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Anaheim, California 322477, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.

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