Are nudges sinister psychological tricks? Or are they useless? Actually they are neither

By Meg Elkins, Senior Lecturer with School of Economics, Finance and Marketing and Behavioural Business Lab Member, RMIT University
Robert Hoffmann, Professor of Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania
Swee-Hoon Chuah, Professor of Behavioural Economics, Tasmanian Behavioural Lab, University of Tasmania

Nudging – the idea that simple changes to how a choice is presented can lead people to make better decisions – has been one of the most popular ideas to emerge from economics in the past two decades.

But nudging is now under attack, entangled in the bitter partisan dispute over pandemic policy responses.

Since the idea was popularised in the 2000s, governments – particularly democratic ones – have been enthusiastic about the potential to “nudge” people towards choices that are better for them and society – be it recycling, exercising more, eating more healthily or

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