Do knowledge gains from public information campaigns persist over time? Results from a survey experiment on the Norwegian pension reform

Abstract

Government authorities use resources on information campaigns in order to inform citizens about relevant policy changes. The motivation is usually that individuals sometimes are ill- informed about the public policies relevant for their choices. In a survey experiment where the treatment group was provided with public information material on the social security system, we assess the short- and medium-term knowledge effects. We show that the short run effects of the information on knowledge disappear completely within 4 months. The fi ndings illustrate the limits of public information campaigns to improve knowledge about relevant policy reforms.