In spite of the growing availability of COVID-19 vaccines, a substantial number of people is reluctant or uncertain about getting the vaccine. Nudges may improve vaccine uptake but it is unclear... Show moreIn spite of the growing availability of COVID-19 vaccines, a substantial number of people is reluctant or uncertain about getting the vaccine. Nudges may improve vaccine uptake but it is unclear how this plays out with the experience of autonomous choice, decision competence, decision satisfaction, and being pressured to make a choice. In an online experiment among a representative sample (N = 884), we examined whether a social norm nudge or a default nudge (either or not transparent) was effective in steering the desired choice of making a hypothetical early vaccination appointment as compared to making a later appointment or no appointment. We also examined how both nudges affected autonomy and related downstream consequences. None of the nudges proved effective in making the desired choice of early vaccination and neither did they impact on downstream consequences. Rather, our results indicate that participants who were certain about their choice (i.e., opted for the earliest available vaccination opportunity or not getting vaccinated at all) reported higher levels of autonomy, competence and satisfaction than participants who did not know yet about vaccination or who postponed the moment of getting their vaccination. We conclude that the experience of autonomy and related downstream consequences is determined by having made up one's mind about vaccination, and is not affected by attempts to nudge the individual. Show less
Frel, D.L. den; Wicks, H.; Bakk, Z.; Keulen, N. van; Adrichem, V. van; Tussenbroek, N. van; ... ; Janssen, V.R. 2023
Background and aimsDiet is important in prevention and management of non-communicable disease and in particular, cardiovascular disease. Recently, more hospitals gear towards healthier dietary... Show moreBackground and aimsDiet is important in prevention and management of non-communicable disease and in particular, cardiovascular disease. Recently, more hospitals gear towards healthier dietary policies, however, a tool to assess the effect of these interventions in patient populations is currently lacking. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is generally used to assess health-related behavior and offers a framework for development of questionnaires. In this study, we aim to evaluate the reliability, internal consistency and preliminary construct validity of the newly developed Dietary Intention Evaluation Tool for In-hospital patients (DIETI) which is based on the TPB.Methods and resultsAn expert panel constructed the item list of the DIETI. A total of 312 patients admitted to the cardiology ward filled out the DIETI. Explanatory- and confirmatory factor analysis showed that our tool adequately discerns five TPB-consistent factors regarding a healthy diet in hospitalized patients. (N = 312, for the CFA model χ2 = 313.072 (df = 160, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.939, RMSEA = 0.058). Subsequent analysis of reliability showed satisfactory to strong internal consistency of the questionnaire as a whole and all subscales (Cronbach's alpha for the subscales ranging between 0.65 and 0.88).ConclusionsWe conclude that the DIETI is an internally reliable tool to assess behavioral intentions regarding a healthy diet of in-hospital patients. Thus, this questionnaire can be used to evaluate the effect of dietary interventions aimed at hospitalized patients. Show less
Wachner, J.; Adriaanse, M.; Hoven, M. van den; Ridder, D. de 2022
Defaults have been shown to increase the number of organ donor registrations but it is unclear whether they violate personal autonomy of the people being registered. The implementation of a new... Show moreDefaults have been shown to increase the number of organ donor registrations but it is unclear whether they violate personal autonomy of the people being registered. The implementation of a new Donor Act in the Netherlands, providing people with the opportunity for active registration before being defaulted, allowed for examining to what extent default registration affects personal autonomy and associated concepts. In an online survey among a representative sample (N = 1259), four groups were compared regarding autonomy, decision -making competence, decision satisfaction, and being pressured to register as a donor: people (1) who had registered their status prior to the Donor Act, (2) who had not yet received an invitation for default registration, (3) who had received an invitation and then registered their choice, and (4) who had received an invitation but took no action and were defaulted into donor registration. We found that among the three groups who were the target population of the new arrangement, people who registered their status reported relatively high levels of autonomy and related concepts. However, people who were invited to register but passed the opportunity to respond reported lower scores on these outcomes. We conclude that default organ donation registration may bear negative consequences for a minority of people who feel unable to take action after having been invited to make a choice for registration.Superscript/Subscript Available Show less
This dissertation includes four different experimental field studies. In each study, we focussed on a different, societally relevant problem within the realm of financial decision-making in the... Show moreThis dissertation includes four different experimental field studies. In each study, we focussed on a different, societally relevant problem within the realm of financial decision-making in the Netherlands. In Chapter 2 we investigate whether we could increase saving behaviour, by giving participants feedback about their progress towards their savings goal. In Chapter 2 we encouraged people to adhere to their appointment at a debt advice service by sending them reminders via SMS. In Chapter 4 we investigated whether adjusting the websites of a Dutch moneylender in a way that makes the total costs of a loan more salient, affects customers’ loan decisions. In Chapter 5, we investigated whether interventions that provided students with personalized information about the future costs of their loan would encourage students to recalibrate their monthly loan amount.The studies that are presented in this dissertation, show the value of using behavioural insights in increasing sound financial decision-making. But if we really want to change behaviour for the better, we should explore new ways in which insights from behavioural science could be embedded in policies, processes or systems, because with every choice architecture that is being established, behaviour is steered into a certain direction. Show less
