Eric Johnson

Individual-level loss aversion in riskless and risky choices

Theory and Decision · 2021 · 247 citations

Abstract Loss aversion can occur in riskless and risky choices. We present novel evidence on both in a non-student sample (660 randomly selected customers of a car manufacturer). We measure loss aversion in riskless choice in endowment effect experiments within and between subjects and find similar levels of average loss aversion in both. The subjects of the within study also participate in a simple lottery choice task which arguably measures loss aversion in risky choices. We find substantial h…

Do Nudges Reduce Disparities? Choice Architecture Compensates for Low Consumer Knowledge

Journal of Marketing · 2021 · 120 citations

Choice architecture tools, commonly known as nudges, powerfully impact decisions and can improve welfare. Yet it is unclear who is most impacted by nudges. If nudge effects are moderated by socioeconomic status (SES), these differential effects could increase or decrease disparities across consumers. Using field data and several preregistered studies, the authors demonstrate that consumers with lower SES, domain knowledge, and numerical ability are impacted more by a wide variety of nudges. As a…

Exposing omitted moderators: Explaining why effect sizes differ in the social sciences

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2024-03-11 · 50 citations

Policymakers increasingly rely on behavioral science in response to global challenges, such as climate change or global health crises. But applications of behavioral science face an important problem: Interventions often exert substantially different effects across contexts and individuals. We examine this heterogeneity for different paradigms that underlie many behavioral interventions. We study the paradigms in a series of five preregistered studies across one in-person and 10 online panels, w…

Widespread misestimates of greenhouse gas emissions suggest low carbon competence

Nature Climate Change · 2024-06-21 · 44 citations

Local warming is real: A meta-analysis of the effect of recent temperature on climate change beliefs

Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · 2021 · 43 citations