A BEHAVIORAL ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF CARBON-NEUTRAL ENERGY PURCHASING

Abstract

Centuries of perturbance by human activity has threatened the ability of long-resolute environmental exchange systems to cycle particulate matter in a manner conducive to human success on Earth. We stand now in a time in our history with no direct parallel. Drastic and outside-the-box applications from all domains of science are needed. In the described experiments, I present a novel behavioral economic framework—one based on principles of operant demand—as a means of investigating the efficacy of environmental manipulations on “green” consumerism at community scale. In all experiments, participants are asked to make decisions regarding their likelihood of enrolling in a clean home-energy supply at varying prices. In Experiment 1, I unpack the preliminary performance of the task via examination of consistency within generated demand metrics, relation to existing measures of ecological concern, and predictive ability as it pertains to environmentally friendly action. Results suggest strong internal performance and divergence from existing measures, hinting at a novel aspect of sustainable behavior captured by the task. In Experiment 2, I evaluate the performance of the task as a framework for testing efficacy of scalable choice architectural intervention. Results suggest adequate task sensitivity to detect group distinctions in demand. Finally, in Experiment 3, I introduce a modified version of the task that employs a more ecologically relevant response (dichotomous yes/no responding). Overall findings indicate adequate task performance and viability for use as an evaluative instrument for prospective community intervention.