Framing and Social Information Nudges at Wikipedia

TL;DR

This study examines how framing donation requests and social information presentation on Wikipedia affects user donations, finding negative framing increases donations while social information variations do not significantly influence behavior.

Contribution

It demonstrates that negative framing of donor numbers can boost donations and shows social information variations have limited impact, supported by survey evidence.

Findings

Negative framing increases donation rates

Social information variations have no significant effect

Negative framing lowers beliefs about others' donations

Abstract

We analyze a series of trials that randomly assigned Wikipedia users in Germany to different web banners soliciting donations. The trials varied framing or content of social information about how many other users are donating. Framing a given number of donors in a negative way increased donation rates. Variations in the communicated social information had no detectable effects. The findings are consistent with the results from a survey experiment. In line with donations being strategic substitutes, the survey documents that the negative framing lowers beliefs about others' donations. Varying the social information, in contrast, is ineffective in changing average beliefs.