Nudges at the Dentist
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
We implement a field experiment to study the impact of reminder messages on dental health prevention. Patients who are due to schedule a check-up receive no reminder, a neutral reminder postcard, or reminders including additional information on the benefits of prevention. Our results document a strong impact of reminders. Within one month after receiving a reminder, the fraction of patients who make a check-up appointment more than doubles. The effect declines slightly over time, but remains economically and statistically significant. Including additional information in the reminders does not significantly increase response rates relative to the neutral reminder. Finally, our data indicates that applying reminders repeatedly neither strengthens nor weakens their effects.
Original language | English |
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Journal | European Economic Review |
Volume | 72 |
Pages (from-to) | 19-38 |
Number of pages | 20 |
ISSN | 0014-2921 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Nov 2014 |
Bibliographical note
JEL classification: D03, I11, C93
- Attention, Field experiment, Health prevention, Memory limitations, Reminder
Research areas
ID: 126372820