Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/85012 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
Preprints of the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods No. 2012/15
Publisher: 
Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods, Bonn
Abstract: 
We implement a randomized field experiment to study the impact of reminders on dental health prevention. Patients who are due for a check-up receive no reminder, a neutral reminder postcard, or reminders including additional information on the benefits of prevention. Our results document a strong impact of reminders. Within one month after receiving a reminder, the fraction of patients who make a check-up appointment more than doubles. The effect declines slightly over time, but remains economically and statistically significant. Including additional information in the reminders does not increase response rates. In fact, the neutral reminder has the strongest impact for the overall population as well as for important subgroups of patients. Finally, we document that being exposed to reminders repeatedly does neither strengthen nor weaken their effectiveness.
Subjects: 
Framing
Field experiment
Reminders
Nudges
Memory Limitations
Prevention
Dental Health
JEL: 
C93
D03
I11
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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