NBER Retirement Research Center Paper NB09-01
September 2010
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a field experiment in which a random subsample of older
workers was given information about key Social Security provisions, while a control group was
not. The experiment was designed to examine whether it is possible to affect individual behavior
using a relatively inexpensive informational intervention about the provisions of a public
program and to explore what mechanisms underlie the behavior change. We find that our
relatively mild intervention (sending an informational brochure and an invitation to a webtutorial)
significantly increased labor force participation one year later and that this effect is
driven by female subjects. The information intervention increased the perceived returns to
working longer, especially among female respondents, which suggests that the behavioral
response can be attributed at least in part to updated information about Social Security.
Citation
Liebman, Jeffrey, and Erzo F.P. Luttmer. "Would People Behave Differently If They Better Understood Social Security? Evidence From a Field Experiment." NBER Retirement Research Center Paper NB09-01, September 2010.