@article{MarcusSiedlerZiebarth2022,
  author    = {Marcus, Jan and Siedler, Thomas and Ziebarth, Nicolas R.},
  title     = {The long-run effects of sports club vouchers for primary school children},
  series = {American economic journal: economic policy},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {American economic journal: economic policy},
  number    = {3},
  publisher = {American Economic Association},
  address   = {Nashville},
  issn      = {1945-7731},
  doi       = {10.1257/pol.20200431},
  pages     = {128 -- 165},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Childhood obesity is one of the most serious public health challenges of the twenty-first century. While small-scale experiments change behaviors among adults in the short run, we know little about the effectiveness of large-scale policies or the longer-run impacts. To nudge primary school children into a long-term habit of exercising, the German state of Saxony distributed sports club membership vouchers among all 33,000 third graders in 2009. In 2018, we carried out a register-based survey to evaluate the policy. Even after a decade, awareness of the voucher program was significantly higher in the treatment group. We also find that youth received and redeemed the vouchers. However, we do not find significant short- or long-term effects on sports club membership, physical activity, overweightness, or motor skills. Apparently, membership vouchers for children are not a strong enough policy tool to overcome barriers to exercise regularly.},
  language  = {en}
}