Information Acquisition, Moral Wiggle Room, and High Air Conditioning Usage

Environmental policies based on information provision are widespread, but have often proven ineffective. One possible explanation for information’s low effectiveness is that people actively avoid it. We conduct an online field experiment on air conditioning usage to test the theory of moral wiggle room, according to which people avoid information that would compel them to act morally, against the standard theory of information acquisition. The goal of the study is to identify conditions under which each theory applies. In the experiment, we observe how exogenously imposing a feeling of moral obligation to reduce air conditioning usage and varying the cost of doing so, influences subjects’ avoidance of information about their energy use impacts on the environment. Exploratory analysis will also assess the correlation between information acquisition and air conditioning usage, and the mechanism behind the effect of the treatment. We hope that our findings will provide guidance about tailoring the use of nudges and informational tools to the decision environment.