| Abstract: |
Coal heating in residential homes is an important source of indoor air
pollution, leading to detrimental health effects. We conduct a randomized
field experiment in northern China using three types of SMS campaigns
targeting three potential biases that may hinder the adoption of electric
heating: a Cost SMS campaign, designed to address the overestimation of
electricity expenses; a Health SMS campaign, aimed at addressing the
underestimation of health damage associated with coal heating; and a Social
Comparison SMS campaign, intended to inform households about the popularity of
electric heating. We find that the Cost SMS backfires: it instead leads to a
substantial reduction in electric heating, which can be attributed to salience
bias induced by the Cost SMS, which drew heightened attention to the cost of
electricity. The Health SMS is ineffective for households that underestimate
the health damage of coal heating and even backfires for those who expressed
little concern about the health consequences. Social Comparison SMS is only
effective for a small proportion of households who were concerned about their
neighbors' heating choices. Overall, our findings suggest that SMS campaigns
targeting these biases are largely ineffective, and caution should be
exercised when applying plausible nudge interventions. The findings also
suggest that households may be motivated to maintain their beliefs and resist
paternalistic interventions. |