Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
货币激励、环境关注与意图-行为差距：来自垃圾清理实地实验的证据
Monetary Incentives, environmental concern, and the intention–behaviour gap: Evidence from a litter cleanup field experiment
摘要
This study uses a field experiment to examine how a monetary incentive affects hypothetical intention, sign-ups, and show-ups in a litter cleanup, and how environmental concern moderates this effect. Participants were randomly assigned to either a paid or unpaid condition. Overall, we find a discrepancy between hypothetical intention, sign-ups, and show-ups across all treatments, highlighting the limitations of survey-based studies relying on hypothetical scenarios. Additionally, while the monetary incentive boosts initial sign-ups, it fails to increase show-up rates, raising concerns about its cost-effectiveness. Also, its effect is heterogeneous: it attracts individuals with low environmental concern but discourages those already concerned by environmental issues. These findings underscore two limitations of the monetary incentive: it drives sign-ups but fails to sustain participation, and it may deter those already concerned by environmental causes. Although the incentive is effective for certain groups, it does not universally promote behavioural change, contributing to the broader discussion on the role of monetary rewards in fostering pro-environmental behaviours.
中文摘要
本研究通过实地实验考察货币激励如何影响垃圾清理活动中的假设意愿、报名人数与实际到场人数，以及环境关注如何调节这一效应。参与者被随机分配到有偿或无偿条件组。总体而言，我们发现所有处理组在假设意愿、报名人数与实际到场人数之间均存在差异，凸显了依赖假设情境的调查研究之局限。此外，尽管货币激励提升了初始报名人数，却未能提高实际到场率，这引发了对其成本效益的担忧。同时，其效应具有异质性：它吸引了环境关注度较低的个人，却抑制了那些本就关注环境问题的人。这些发现凸显了货币激励的两点局限：它能推动报名，却无法维持参与；它可能抑制那些本就关注环境事业的人。尽管该激励对某些群体有效，但它并未普遍促进行为改变，这为关于货币奖励在促进亲环境行为中作用的更广泛讨论提供了贡献。