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Do mobile applications foster sustainable mobility? Evidence from a field experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Alexander Goetz

    (Swiss National Bank
    ETH Zurich)

  • Ioana Marinica

    (ETH Zurich)

  • Harald Mayr

    (University of Zurich)

  • Luca Mosetti

    (ETH Zurich)

  • Renate Schubert

    (ETH Zurich)

Abstract

Mobile applications hold promise to foster sustainable mobility behavior, but evaluations of their effectiveness are subject to a number of empirical challenges. We conduct a randomized controlled trial with three distinctive features: unobtrusive tracking of the control group, limited sample attrition, and a representative sample. In our study, 410 participants track their mobility behavior over a 5 week period. After 1 week, the treatment group engages with the user interface of the “Swiss Climate Challenge App”. The user interface combines information on individual $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ CO 2 emissions with gamification features. We find a treatment effect that implies a $$9.8\%$$ 9.8 % reduction in emissions caused by access to the mobile application. While we lack the statistical power to exclude a zero average effect, we find statistically significant emission reductions in the second half of the intervention period, among subjects in medium population density areas, and among men. Our findings suggest that mobile applications could generate considerable net benefits, but larger studies will be needed for validation.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Goetz & Ioana Marinica & Harald Mayr & Luca Mosetti & Renate Schubert, 2024. "Do mobile applications foster sustainable mobility? Evidence from a field experiment," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 160(1), pages 1-33, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sjecst:v:160:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1186_s41937-024-00129-y
    DOI: 10.1186/s41937-024-00129-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sustainable mobility; Mobile application; Randomized controlled trial;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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