Knowledge is money: Do people think cultural capital can be transformed into economic value?

Cultural capital is defined as the accumulation of knowledge, behaviors, and skills that a person can tap into to demonstrate one's cultural competence and social status (Bourdieu, 1986). Cultural capital has been well-understood in social sciences such as sociology and economics for the past decades. Little research has examined the psychological antecedences and consequences of cultural capital at the individual level. Our current work seeks to provide empirical evidence to support the claim that cultural capital (embodied, objective, and institutionalized) can be transformed into economic value. Using a 3 × 3 × 2 (Cultural Capital Conditions × Behavioral Agents × Frames) mixed experimental design, our data showed that under the gain frame rather than the loss frame, the property of people with cultural capital was judged higher than those pretending to have cultural capital, but without real knowledge. Interestingly, this pattern of results only holds true under the embodied cultural capital condition, but did not hold true under the objectified and institutionalized cultural capital conditions.

Effect of persuasive messages on National Health Service Organ Donor Registrations: a pragmatic quasi-randomised controlled trial with one million UK road taxpayers.

BACKGROUND: A shortage of organs available for transplantation is causing loss of life. Increasing the number of individuals on the National Health Service (NHS) Organ Donor Register (ODR) is one way to address the shortage of organs. In Great Britain, new drivers registering for their driving licence are invited to join the ODR. A further 17 million drivers renew their road tax online each year, presenting an additional opportunity to prompt drivers to join the ODR. This trial explores the effect of adding persuasive messages to a prompt to join the ODR at the end of road tax payment transactions. METHODS: In this pragmatic, parallel group, quasi-randomised controlled trial, drivers renewing their road tax or registering for a driving licence were alternately allocated, using a JavaScript randomisation code embedded in the GOV.UK website, to view a control prompt inviting sign-ups to the ODR or the same prompt plus one of seven theoretically informed persuasive messages; (i) social norms alone, (ii) social norms plus the NHS ODR logo, (iii) social norms plus an image, (iv) loss frame, (v) gain frame, (vi) reciprocity and (vii) cognitive dissonance. The trial took place over a 4-week period in June 2013. The primary outcome measure was participants completing the online registration form (sign-ups). RESULTS: Altogether, 1,085,322 website users were included in the study. Further, 1171 more sign-ups were completed under the most effective message (reciprocity) compared to the control prompt alone (reciprocity: n = 4256, control: n = 3085; odds ratio, OR 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.32-1.45, p < 0.001). The loss-framed message was as effective. All messages increased sign-ups compared to the control prompt apart from the social norms message plus image (n = 2879; OR 0.94, 95% confidence interval 0.89-0.99, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Short persuasive messages alongside a prompt can persuade more ODR sign-ups for individuals renewing their road tax than a prompt alone. The most effective message remains in place today. Since the trial in 2013, the same message has been implemented across 25 government end-of-transaction websites on GOV.UK, resulting in 529,000 new registrations to the ODR up to 31st October 2017.