I Don't Want to Hear About it: Rational Ignorance among Duty-Oriented Consumers
Link to article:
Authors:
Nyborg, K.
Year:
2008
Reference:
Memorandum
Number in series: 15
Summary
Individuals with a preference for keeping moral obligations may dislike learning that voluntary contributions are socially valuable: Such informa- tion can trigger unpleasant feelings of cognitive dissonance. I show that if initial beliefs about the social value of contributions are su¢ ciently low, duty-oriented consumers are willing to pay to avoid information. Attitude campaigns can increase contributions from such consumers by providing them with unwanted information. Consequentialist warm glow types with low initial beliefs, however, will seek low-cost information on their own ini- tiative; thus, campaigns will have less e¤ects for such consumers.
JEL:
D11, D62, D64, D89, H41, Q21
Keywords:
Voluntary contributions, public goods, responsibility, altruism, information campaigns, cognitive dissonance.
Project:
Oppdragsgiver: Norges forskningsråd, Miljø2015Oppdragsgivers prosjektnr.: 183593
Frisch prosjekt: 3171 - SAMFUNN: Norms, green agents and environmental policy