Ethical defaults: which transparency components can increase the effectiveness of default nudges?

ABSTRACT Default options have been successfully utilized in influencing behavior across multiple domains. Recent empirical evidence advocated the induction of transparency to default interventions as an effective tool for increasing policy compliance. However, the roles of the different transparency components in achieving the effect remain unexplored. In an experimental study, we measured the effects of three different transparency disclosures on default effectiveness. The default’s target behavior, the default’s purpose, and the way defaults work were disclosed in separate conditions. Our results show that transparency significantly increases compliance to the default nudge. In addition, we provide an insight as to which transparency components are most effective in boosting the default effect.