Speaker: Mattie Toma (University of Warwick)

Title: Numbers tell, but words sell: Imprecision in persuasive communication

          This is joint work with Michael Thaler and Victor Wang.

When: Friday, April 26, 10:30am - 12:00pm

Where: Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1, 1090 Wien, Lecture hall 3, ground floor (map)

Abstract:

Experts must often choose whether to communicate using numbers or language when sharing information with policymakers and the general public. While there are many reasons why experts would send messages using language or numbers, our study emphasizes the role of message precision: numbers represent precise estimates, whereas language is imprecise because one word can be interpreted as many numerical values. We run a large-scale experiment in which we vary message senders’ incentives to directionally persuade their audience or to convey accurate information. We look at choices between message formats, finding that directional incentives increase the likelihood of using language to communicate. We also analyze preferences for messages within each format, finding distortions for both numerical and language messages. The imprecision of language can help explain the preferences that we observe. We then discuss an application involving the communication of research evidence to policymakers.