Eyes and Flies: Why Behaviour Change Matters

Eyes and Flies: Why Behaviour Change

MattersLouise Reeve

1. A greater understanding of behaviour change, what it means, why it matters, and why we are doing it.

2. A cool phrase – “cognitive polyphasia” – which will impress people.

What will you get out of this presentation?

“A sustained shift in people’s awareness, attitudes, motivation and habits which makes them do things differently. Once enough people make the change, it becomes the social norm.”

(Steve Park)

EYES: What is behaviour change?

Nettle D, Nott K, Bateson M (2012) ‘Cycle Thieves, We Are Watching You’

Previous example: prevent socially harmful behaviour such as cycle theft

Or, promote socially beneficial behaviour Local government context: Between 2010-2015 , local

authorities face a central grant reduction of 28%. Many argue this requires not “salami-slicing”, but wholesale

redesign of service delivery.

Why seek to change behaviour?

Example: Somerset – “Sort It” partnership: "By collecting food waste separately, people become more aware of the amount they are throwing out and start to minimise their waste themselves.”

Reduced costs by 20%. Somerset Waste Partnership

It seems like common sense not to drop litter or drink to excess… yet people do it. Why?

National Social Marketing Centre:

“People do not always act in their own best interest, and behaviour can be:

Irrational, we don’t carefully consider every action we take

influenced by both internal factors (such as confidence, attitude to risk, habit) and external factors (such as what everyone else is doing, the environment we live in)

subject to change in different circumstances.”

Why don’t people just behave in the “right” way anyway?

(NSMC, “A Social Marketing approach to behaviour change”)

The next slides will explain how to do it. First, an important point: Different behaviour change tools exist: Support – help people to make the change by giving them

the means to do it Design – change the environment or products, to support

new behaviour Inform and educate – provide information, run

marketing campaigns Control – use legislation to require people to do things,

such as use seatbelts or not smoke Using marketing techniques to encourage people to

adopt a new behaviour is one approach, but not the only one – and usually most effective combined with other approaches.

How do you do it? And is it the same thing as social marketing?

Often, changing habitual behaviour requires a change in the environment.

(This is why social marketing is a useful behaviour change tool, but may not be enough on its own.)

So, to prevent spillage at urinals…

…give their users something to aim at!

The famous FLIES…

Change Observer, “The value of design

disruptions”.

The essence of a Social Marketing approach to behaviour change

Build Actionable Insight

SegmentationA SMART

behavioural goal

Use behavioural theory

Identify the exchange

Learn from the competition

Support Design

Inform and Educate

Control

1. Do I see things from my audience’s

perspective?

2. Am I clear about what I would like

people to do?

4. Do the benefits of change outweigh the

costs or barriers?

3. Am I using a combination of

activities to encourage the

desired behaviour?

(NSMC, “A Social Marketing approach to behaviour change”)

Segmenting your Audience

A ‘one size fits all’ approachA message, or a service, will be interpreted differently by different types of people “Don’t sniff glue or

aerosols, they can kill you”

How terrifying, I won’t be doing that!

So what? It’s a kids drug, I wouldn’t be seen dead doing that.

Hmm, I didn’t know you could sniff glue – I’ll give that a try!

(NSMC, “A Social Marketing approach to behaviour change”)

Should we be doing this? Do people want us to do this? Ipsos MORI “Acceptable

Behaviour” report 2012: 36% of people agree with the

statement: “The government should change the law so that everyone has to enrol in a pension scheme”.

The same 36% also agree with the statement: “government should not get involved in what people choose to save for retirement”.

Cognitive polyphasia = “the way individuals can exhibit contradictory modes of thinking about a subject”.

“Staying neutral is trickier than it sounds. All else being equal, a government that decides not to influence fizzy-drink consumption (or whatever) isn't staying neutral, leaving consumers free of pressure. It's making an active choice to let the soft drink industry's persuasive efforts – ads, sponsorship – go unopposed.” Oliver Burkeman, “Don’t take

refuge in neutrality”

But, staying neutral is not an option…

“Usually the most effective means of changing behaviour at a population level is to use a range of policy tools, both regulatory and non-regulatory.”

Government Response to the Science and Technology Select Committee Report on Behaviour Change

Does it work? Yes, but be aware that there can be unwanted consequences! Cycle Theft intervention: Bicycle theft decreased at locations with eye signs by

62%... However, bicycle theft increased by 65% in the control

locations. So, yes it can work… but it is a complex, involved

process.

Does it work?

Behaviour Change “enabler” workstream with 11 different projects:

What are we doing in Newcastle?

1. Maintaining the City7. Fostering and Adoption

2. Crisis Response 8. Community Safety

3. Services People Access

9. Go Smarter

4. Support and Enabling 10. Warm Up North

5. Services to Schools 11. Greening Newcastle

6. Public Health

What it is Why we want to do it Why behaviour change and social

marketing are not necessarily the same thing

How you do it Should we do it? The meaning of “cognitive

polyphasia” Does it work? What we are doing in Newcastle.

Questions?

Conclusion

Burkeman, O. 2013: “Don’t take refuge in neutrality; trying to stay neutral is fraught with trouble”. Guardian, 24 August 2013.

Cabinet Office, 2012: “Government Response to the Science and Technology Select Committee Report on Behaviour Change”. London, Cabinet Office.

Change Observer, “The value of design disruptions”: http://changeobserver.designobserver.com/feature/flies-in-urinals-the-value-of-design-disruptions/33108/ (accessed 27 November 2013)

Keohane, N. 2011. “Changing Behaviours: Opening a new conversation with the citizen”. London, NLGN.

Ipsos MORI, 2012: “Acceptable Behaviour: Public opinion on behaviour change policy”. London, Ipsos MORI.

Nettle D, Nott K, Bateson M (2012) ‘Cycle Thieves, We Are Watching You’: Impact of a Simple Signage Intervention against Bicycle Theft. PLoS ONE 7(12).

Somerset Waste Partnership: http://www.somersetwaste.gov.uk/ (access 27 November 2013)

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