Green Nudges and Information Avoidance, An Experiment with Farmers from Five European Countries

In our first webinar of 2026, we will welcome Julien Picard, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Politecnico di Milano, who will discuss information avoidance in information campaigns.

In this paper, Julien investigates information avoidance as a potential explanation for failed information campaigns. The study implements a preregistered experiment among farmers in Italy, Belgium, Lithuania, France, and Finland. Across two samples, 39% of farmers actively avoid information on the economic benefits of sustainable practices, with evidence pointing to distrust in scientists. Yet, information increases adoption intentions among treated farmers, and machine learning shows that the effect is driven by profiles resembling avoiders, implying that campaigns may fail because those most responsive are also most likely to disengage.

About Julien Picard

Julien is an environmental and behavioural economist working on food choices, pro-social actions, and environmentally sustainable farming practices. He uses experimental methods and theory to understand what drives pro-environmental decisions. Julien graduated with a PhD in Environmental Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2024. He is currently employed as a postdoctoral researcher at the Politecnico di Milano and is affiliated with the Mediterranean Center on Climate Change. In summer 2026, Julien will join the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) at the Paris-Saclay Applied Economics Lab.