From the list below, what is the best example of a behavioural nudge?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement and options:
From the list below, what is the best example of a behavioural nudge?

Options:
- a. Placing healthy food at eye level on supermarket shelves
- b. A subsidy (money from the government), paid to consumers of education
- c. A tax added to the price of petrol
- d. A financial penalty (fine) for leaving rubbish in a public space

Analysis of each option:
Option a: Placing healthy food at eye level on supermarket shelves. This is a classic behavioural nudge. It changes the default environment in which choices are made, making healthier options more salient and easier to select without restricting freedom or drastically changing prices. It leverages situational cues to steer behavior while preserving choice, which is the essence of a nudge.

Option b: A subsidy paid to consumers of education. This is a financial incentive or subsidy, but it operates as a direct economic intervention rather than a subtle behavioral cue embedded in the environment. It changes price signals to influence demand more than it configures the choice architecture itself.

Option c: A tax added to the price of petrol. This is a price mechanism intended to deter behavior through cost, which is more aligned with a Pigouvian tax or policy instrument rather than a nudge. It imposes a direct economic disincentive rather than gently steering options via the choice context.

Option d: A financial penalty for leaving rubbish in a public space. This is a punitive measure designed to deter improper behavior through sanctions. While it can influence behavior, it does so through punishment and enforcement rather than altering the decision environment in a subtle, opt-in way, which is characteristic of nudges.

Synthesis:
- The key feature of a behavioural nudge is changing the environment or presentation of choices to influence behavior without restricting options or significantly changing economic costs.
- Options b, c, and d rely on monetary incentives or penalties that alter costs or consequences, which are not nudges in the classic sense.
- Option a directly rearranges the choice context to encourage a preferred option, aligning with the behavioral nudge concept.

Therefore, option a is the best example of a behavioural nudge among the listed choices.

From the list below, what is the best example of a behavioural nudge?

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