Nudgeability
How susceptible a given person, behavior, or context is to being nudged in the first place.
What it means
Nudgeability refers to the conditions under which nudges actually work, recognizing that their effects are far from universal: they vary with the individual (preferences, awareness, reactance), the behavior (strength of existing habits, stakes), and the context (whether attention is engaged, whether the nudge aligns with goals). The concept emerged as the literature matured from 'nudges work' to 'when and for whom do nudges work,' prompted by heterogeneous and sometimes null field results. Key findings include that nudges are more effective when people lack strong prior preferences, when the steer matches what they already want, and that transparency does not necessarily reduce effectiveness. Understanding nudgeability guards against over-generalizing from a successful pilot and informs targeting — some people and situations are simply more (or less) movable. It matters because treating nudges as reliably effective everywhere is a recipe for disappointment; knowing the boundary conditions is what makes application realistic.
Examples
A default works on employees indifferent about pension funds (highly nudgeable) but barely moves those with firm investment views — same nudge, different nudgeability.
A 'most guests reuse their towels' sign moves the guest who never thought about it and does nothing for the one adamant about fresh towels daily — same sign, different nudgeability.
Calorie labels barely dent a lifelong takeaway habit yet noticeably steer someone already trying to eat better; the label is identical, the appetite for being moved is not.
First described in de Ridder, Kroese & van Gestel (2022).