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Eyes on social norms: A field study on an honor system for newspaper sale

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  • Thomas Brudermann
  • Gregory Bartel
  • Thomas Fenzl
  • Sebastian Seebauer

Abstract

Honor systems are a cheap and simple way for marketing low-price goods. These sale systems are dependent on the honesty of customers and can only tolerate a certain share of free-riders. In an experimental field study, we investigate a case where honesty has almost disappeared, namely an honor system for the sale of newspapers on weekends. In the chosen urban study area, only a minority of customers comply with payment norms. In this difficult setting, we tested the use of eye images and descriptive social norms as cues to improving payment morale over a period of 24 weeks. We find that interventions based on eye cues as well as normative appeals do not evoke a transition from low to high levels of honesty. However, our results suggest that such interventions might still have the potential to marginally increase mean payments and therefore be economically profitable for operators of large-scale honor systems. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Brudermann & Gregory Bartel & Thomas Fenzl & Sebastian Seebauer, 2015. "Eyes on social norms: A field study on an honor system for newspaper sale," Theory and Decision, Springer, vol. 79(2), pages 285-306, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:theord:v:79:y:2015:i:2:p:285-306
    DOI: 10.1007/s11238-014-9460-1
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    Cited by:

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    2. Vranka, Marek & Frollová, Nikola & Pour, Marek & Novakova, Julie & Houdek, Petr, 2019. "Cheating customers in grocery stores: A field study on dishonesty," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
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    4. Brouwer, Thijs & Potters, Jan, 2019. "Friends for (almost) a day: Studying breakaways in cycling races," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 75(PB).
    5. Fenzl, Thomas & Brudermann, Thomas, 2021. "Eye cues increase cooperation in the dictator game under physical attendance of a recipient, but not for all," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    6. Cherchi, Elisabetta, 2017. "A stated choice experiment to measure the effect of informational and normative conformity in the preference for electric vehicles," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 88-104.
    7. Pfattheicher, Stefan & Schindler, Simon & Nockur, Laila, 2019. "On the impact of Honesty-Humility and a cue of being watched on cheating behavior," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 159-174.
    8. Huynh, Luu Duc Toan & Stratmann, Philipp & Rilke, Rainer Michael, 2024. "No influence of simple moral awareness cues on cheating behaviour in an online experiment," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 108(C).

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