Self-selection and attrition biases in app-based persuasive technologies for mobility behavior change: Evidence from a Swiss case study

Cellina, Francesca and Vittucci Marzetti, Giuseppe and Gui, Marco (2021) Self-selection and attrition biases in app-based persuasive technologies for mobility behavior change: Evidence from a Swiss case study. Computers in Human Behavior, 125. p. 106970.

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Abstract

App-based persuasive technologies emerged as promising tools to promote sustainable travel behavior. However, the opt-in, self-selection framework characterizing their use in real-life conditions might actually lead to wrongly estimate their potential and actual impact in analyses that do not rely on strict randomized controlled trials (RCTs). To investigate evidence of such biases, we analyze mobility data gathered from users of a persuasive app promoting public transport and active mobility launched in 2018 in Bellinzona (Switzerland). We consider the users' baseline mobility data: km per day (total and by car) traveled during the app validation period, when behavior change motivational features were not enabled. To estimate the possible self-selection bias, we compare these data with the reference population, using data from the Swiss Mobility and Transport Census; to study the possible attrition bias, we look at the relations between baseline mobility and the number of weeks of app's active use. We find evidence of neither self-selection nor critical attrition biases. This strengthens findings by earlier non RCT-based analyses and confirms the relevance of app-based persuasive technologies for mobility behavior change.

Item Type:	Scientific journal article, Newspaper article or Magazine article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Persuasive technology, Mobility behavior, Self-selection, Attrition, App churn, Behavior change
Subjects:	Social studies
Department/unit:	Dipartimento ambiente costruzioni e design > Istituto sostenibilità applicata all'ambiente costruito
Depositing User:	Francesca Cellina
Date Deposited:	09 Aug 2021 06:25
Last Modified:	09 Aug 2021 06:27
URI:	http://repository.supsi.ch/id/eprint/12705

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