How default settings doubled organ donation rates in the U.S.
Abstract
Lack of organs available for donation is a significant problem in the United States, where the default option - defined as the condition present when someone fails to make a decision - is not to be a donor. This shortage is confusing, as approval rates of organ donations in the U.S. are significantly high, hovering around 95%.1
To investigate this discrepancy between attitudes and action, researchers created a survey in which respondents were asked whether or not they would be donors in one of three conditions: opt-in (default is not to be a donor), opt out (default is to be a donor), or a neutral condition where they chose with no prior default. They found that the donation rates under the opt-out condition were twice as high than in the opt-in condition. These findings reflect the power of the default option and suggest this could be a way to increase donation rates, thus saving lives.
WANT TO WORK TOGETHER ON A RELATED PROBLEM?
Effective interventions start with a nuanced understanding of how decisions are made. Our mission is to help large organizations be better and do better, using behavioral science.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013, September). 2012 National Survey of Organ Donation Attitudes and Behaviors. https://www.organdonor.gov/sites/default/files/organ-donor/professional/grants-research/national-survey-organ-donation-2012.pdf.
- Health Resources & Services Administration. (2021, May). Organ Donation Statistics. https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics.
- MINDSPACE Framework. The Decision Lab. (n.d.). https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/neuroscience/mindspace-framework/.
- Johnson, E. J., & Goldstein, D. (2003). Do defaults save lives? Science, 302(5649), 1338–1339. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1091721.
