Are defaults as powerful as we think?

24 January 2023


What is a default? When presented with a predetermined option, up to 90% of people tend to accept it. 

Defaults have become an important and lauded nudge, a powerful part of any behavioural scientist's toolbox - changing the default can change the behaviour.

However, in our latest article Defaults are not always the silver bullet, published in MRS’s Impact e-magazine, we discuss important newly identified contexts in which we may override defaults, or when they might even backfire.

We illustrate these new findings using three relevant examples; energy, current account overdrafts, and saving into pensions, before outlining the implications of this research for using defaults going forward.

Given the importance of defaults as a powerful BeSci tool, understanding how to use them optimally is essential - so read the full article here.


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