Evaluating behavioural strategies for environmental cooperation: Evidence from a public goods game

• The paper investigates different behavioural interventions in a public goods game • We use non-educative and educative nudging, and boosting • Educative nudging significantly increased participant cooperation levels • Acceptability of interventions decreased when considering real-life applications • Stronger environmental values were connected to higher contributions In a laboratory experiment, this study investigates the effectiveness of different behavioural interventions designed to promote climate-friendly behaviours within the framework of a public good game. The results show that educative nudging, which involves providing information-based cues to encourage contribution levels, significantly increased participant cooperation levels. In contrast, non-educative nudges, a classical default option, and boosting techniques proved less effective in fostering collaborative behaviour. While participants generally perceived educational interventions favourably, their acceptability declined when considering real-life applications, and the acceptability of nudging/boosting instruments in experimental and real-life contexts was not significant in terms of contributions to the game. The study also finds that individuals with stronger environmental values were more inclined to contribute to the public good. These results underscore the importance of effectiveness and ethical concerns regarding the acceptability of behavioural interventions in decision-making, suggesting the need for further research to refine these approaches and enhance their long-term impact in real-world settings.