WP3: Providing carbon offsets (Field experiment)

For the offered offsetting option, there will be a specific portfolio of different gold standard certified carbon offset projects, potentially allowing customers to pick their individual offsetting choices. The introduction of a carbon offsetting option will be evaluated through the use of a field experiment. Field experimental methods differ both from traditional field data analysis or surveys and laboratory experiments, since they provide the opportunity to examine real individual behaviour in a natural and familiar environment. To study the effects of the different mechanisms, it is important to randomly assign different informational campaigns and economic incentives to clients of the cooperating parcel service provider. A solution to proper randomization in an internet based setting is the use of cookies (Kesternich et al. 2014). In this project, both classic economic and modern behavioural instruments will be applied. Classic instruments typically involve monetary incentives. Important behavioural economic instruments include default-setting, feedback, social comparison and self-signalling options.