Data and Code for: The Semblance of Success in Nudging Consumers to Pay Down Credit Card Debt

Guttman-Kenney, B., Adams, P., Hunt, S., Laibson, D., Stewart, N.ORCID logo & Leary, J. (2025). Data and Code for: The Semblance of Success in Nudging Consumers to Pay Down Credit Card Debt. [Dataset]. OpenICPSR. https://doi.org/10.3886/e209827
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We test a nudge in a field experiment on credit cards. The nudge shrouds the Autopay enrolment option for cardholders to automatically pay exactly the credit card minimum payment each month. After six months, the nudge decreases the fraction of cardholders who only pay exactly the minimum by 23\%. However, the nudge does \textit{not} significantly reduce credit card debt. Nudged cardholders often choose Autopay amounts that are only slightly higher than the minimum payment. The nudge reduces Autopay enrolment, which increases missed payments. The nudge reduces manual payments by Autopay enrolees. Cardholders frequently lacking liquid cash best explains our results.

Available at: 10.3886/e209827

Access level: Open

Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0


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