Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
对更新热量信息的非对称行为反应
Asymmetric behavioural responses to updating caloric information
摘要
Abstract Calorie labels are widely used as an information disclosure policy, yet their behavioural effects remain debated. Across four studies ( N = 2,067), including one nationally representative online sample of the U.S., we examine how individuals adjust portion-size choices after updating misperceptions about meal calorie content. Using more than 45,000 incentivised calorie estimates and 6,000 food choices, we find that food characteristics, not individual traits, better predict misperceptions, and that larger misestimations are associated with extreme portion choices. Portion-size adjustments after a label reveals the caloric content are substantially smaller than the initial estimation errors. Responses are asymmetric: correcting underestimation is associated with larger reductions in portion size than the increases observed after correcting overestimation. Individuals who estimate calories accurately show little to no adjustment. Increases after correcting overestimation are concentrated among healthier foods and lower-conflict eaters. These results highlight asymmetric behavioural responses to disclosed information and suggest that average calorie changes may obscure important heterogeneity.
中文摘要
卡路里标签被广泛用作信息披露政策，但其行为效应仍存争议。通过四项研究（N = 2,067），其中包括一个具有美国全国代表性的在线样本，我们考察个体在更新对餐食卡路里含量的错误认知后如何调整份量选择。基于超过45,000次有激励的卡路里估计和6,000次食物选择，我们发现食物特征而非个体特质更能预测错误认知，且较大的估计误差与极端份量选择相关。标签揭示卡路里含量后的份量调整幅度显著小于初始估计误差。反应具有不对称性：纠正低估所伴随的份量减少幅度大于纠正高估后所观察到的份量增加幅度。卡路里估计准确的个体几乎不进行调整。纠正高估后的增加集中在更健康的食物和冲突较低的进食者中。这些结果凸显了对披露信息的不对称行为反应，并表明平均卡路里变化可能掩盖重要的异质性。