Hallsworth et al., 2014: Encouraging tax compliance with social norms increased tax revenue over 23 days
Reference:
Hallsworth, M., List, J. A., Metcalfe, R. D., & Vlaev, I. (2017). The behavioralist as tax collector: Using natural field experiments to enhance tax compliance. Journal of Public Economics, 148, 14-31.
Download PDFSummary:
In a trial of letters sent to more than 100,000 citizens delinquent in their tax payments, the letter containing the strongest norm statement (“Nine out of ten people in the UK pay their taxes on time. You are currently in the very small minority of people who have not paid us yet”) produced an additional £1.9 million (»$2.73) in tax revenue among 16,515 recipients over 23 days.
Psychological Process:
Need
Need to BelongWhat Desired Meaning is At Stake?
What is the Person Trying to Understand?
To Feel Connected, Included, Respected, and Valued by OthersApproach to Desired Meaning
What about it?
Link Belonging to a Behavior or Attitude to Motivate Positive ChangeHow?
Psychological Question Addressed
What is typical or valued in my social community?What is typical or valued in my social community?Changing beliefs about social norms to motivate positive behaviorsPsychological Question Addressed
What is typical or valued in my social community?Psychological Process 2:
Psychological Process 3:
Social Area:
Civic behavior
Intervention Technique:
Direct labeling, of social norms