We study default effects in the context of a residential electricity-pricing program. We analyze a large-scale randomized controlled trial in which one treatment group was given the option to opt-in to time-varying pricing while another was defaulted into the program but allowed to opt-out. We provide dramatic evidence of a default effect on program participation, consistent with previous research. A novel feature of our study is that we also observe how the default manipulation impacts customers’ subsequent electricity consumption. Passive consumers who did not opt-out but would not have opted in — comprising more than 70 percent of the sample — nonetheless reduce consumption in response to higher prices. Observation of this follow-on behavior enables us to assess competing explanations for the default effect. We draw conclusions about the likely welfare effects of defaulting customers onto time-varying pricing.

中文翻译：

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默认效果和后续行为：电力定价程序的证据

我们在住宅电价计划的背景下研究默认效应。我们分析了一项大规模的随机对照试验，其中一个治疗组可以选择采用随时间变化的价格，而另一个治疗组则默认加入该程序但可以选择退出。与以前的研究一致，我们提供了对项目参与产生默认影响的生动证据。我们研究的一个新颖之处在于，我们还观察到默认操作如何影响客户的后续用电量。那些没有选择退出但不会选择加入的被动型消费者（占样本的70％以上），却因价格上涨而减少了消费。通过观察这种后续行为，我们可以评估竞争对默认效果的解释。