Nudging to Manage the Spread of COVID-19: Lessons Learned for the Next Pandemic

Abstract

Nudging is a popular low-cost strategy that can be implemented in interventions to influence individuals to perform certain behaviors and implement policies better. With the spread of COVID-19 that began in 2020, several studies attempted to test nudging to influence behaviors that manage the spread. In this article, we report on our review of 21 studies utilizing nudging to improve adherence to various behaviors associated with the management of COVID-19. Findings highlight the overall positive influence of nudging, especially for hesitant individuals, but draw attention to the possibility of messages backfiring when framed negatively. Our results also reflect the importance of customizing the message to the target audience, the behavioral constructs that may influence intention, and the need for researchers to test nudges on actionable behavior in addition to intention to account for the intention-behavior gap.