Verification of the effect of expanding vegetable intake through 'personal nudges' using receipt big data

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K15615
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 41010:Agricultural and food economics-related
• Research Institution: Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
• Principal Investigator: SASAKI HIROKI 農林水産省農林水産政策研究所, その他部局等, 研究員 (00371013)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 野菜消費 / ランダム化比較試験（RCT） / ナッジ / レシートデータ / 行動変容

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The extent to which health-related information provision and personalised nudges that modify cognitive bias enhance vegetable purchase and intake are examined via a four-month natural field experiment using 942 households’ daily purchase records from receipt scanner data. Although the group receiving only an explanation of the health-improving effects of vegetables showed no significant effect overall on households’ vegetable purchase and intake, the meat purchase amount was significantly decreased due to the information’s spillover effects. When the status of relative vegetable purchases amount was provided based on personal purchase histories, a further increase in the purchase volume of consumers who originally consumed many vegetables was observed. Subgroup analysis revealed that this tendency was more pronounced in households with children than without children. Nudging effects were sustained after the intervention.

Free Research Field

農業経済学、環境経済学、行動経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本の野菜消費量は、食習慣の欧米化などを背景に約30年前から減少傾向が続き、成人1人当たり摂取量は、国が推奨する目標を下回っている。国は、野菜摂取を呼び掛けるポスターなどで啓発を続けているが、積極的な消費拡大には結び付いていない。また、令和元年「国民健康・栄養調査」により、健康無関心層の実態が初めて把握された。このような無関心層の行動をいかに変容させるかが重要であるもものの、従来の普及啓発では限界があった。
本研究は、粒度の高いアウトカムデータを活用した実験で、ナッジが一定の有効性を持つことを確認した。学術的に新規性を有するのみならず、持続的で健康な食生活の普及に向けた新たな視座を提供できた。