Paul White

How We Might Achieve Behaviour Change

Lessons from theory and practice

“I will if you will”

Start from a “people” perspective

Make it easier

Be part of something bigger

CatalyseIs the

package enough to

break a habit and kick start

change?

Exemplify

Enable

Engage

(Make it easier)

Encourage(Give the right

Signals)

(Lead by example)

(Get peopleinvolved)

People need help to make responsible choices

Influencing Behaviour Framework

People need to be involved early on for them to take personal responsibility

What can you do to exemplify and reinforce commitment from others?

Consider the benefits and incentivesConsider carefully the role of taxes and enforcement

Pro-environmental context

Weak

Strong

Strong

APATHETIC

EFFECTIVE

IGNORANCE

FRUSTRATED

Readiness & Willingness to Adopt(INTERNAL FACTORS)

Sys

tem

s &

C

apac

ity

(EX

TER

NA

L F

AC

TO

RS

)

Waste prevention is the realm of the minority…..

• Invisible – Unseen and private. Performed mainly in the privacy of our own home.

• Personal – Misunderstood and driven by deeply held beliefs and attitudes rather than social norms.

Typical waste prevention behaviours

Using a centralised composting site

Using home composting bins

Swap it, repaint, furniture and electrical re-use, charity shops

Avoiding over packaged products, bulk buying, buying long life products, buying locally

Buying experience gifts, using refillables,hiring instead of buying

Joining the Mail Preference Service

Reusing jars, bottles, paper etc, repairing goodsVis

ibili

ty

SMART Shopping

Reuse in the home

Reduce unwanted mail

Community reuse

Buying services

Home composting

Community composting

Reduce food waste Planning shopping trips, buying and cook what you need, not tempted by BOGOF, storage

Defra Waste & Resources Evidence Programme

Social Dimension Theme• Understanding perceptions, attitudes and

responsibilities towards waste & resources management.

• Investigating ways to facilitate pro-environmental behaviours.

• Extending understanding recycling behaviour to waste prevention.

Examples of research approaches

• Social learning, action networks – Lifestyle-centred, ‘moments of change’– Working with communities– Shared learning, responsibility and

commitment– Peer to peer support

Action networks to change habits

Objective• To involve up to 800

households to measure and reduce waste

Approach• Uses social learning theory

and a network-based approach to changing behaviour

EnableProviding training, support and guidance through mentors. Designing and agreeing priorities

EngageWorking though volunteers, community groups, businesses, utilities and communities of interest

ExemplifyShared responsibilityPeer to peer support

EncouragePublicity, materials

Learnings for practitioners

• Build evaluation in at the beginning• Understand and apply social theories• Invest in long term partnerships• Segment your target audience• Provide feedback• Ensure adequate resources – admin,

delivery, evaluation• Take small incremental steps

Learnings for policy & strategy

• Strengthen the evidence to determine:– Wider social and economic benefits.– Cost effectiveness.– Long term impacts.

• Design “fit for purpose” evaluations.• Coordinate funding approaches.• Improve support, e.g. measurement toolkits,

good practice guidance.

Potential evidence gaps

• How can we look from the inside out – rather than from the outside in?

• How do you make waste prevention more visible and mainstream?

• Are there potential opportunities for spill-over from other behaviours?

• How do we know if long term change is really happening?

SCP Behaviour Change Research

“EmpowermentGoals”

“BehaviouralGoals”

BEIN

GD

OIN

G

EVI DENCE

“EmpowermentGoals”

“BehaviouralGoals”

BEIN

GD

OIN

G

EVI DENCE

Strategy for success

CONCEPTUALRESEARCH &

PLANNING

CapturingAdded Value

Resource & Skills

FosteringEmpowered

Stakeholders

Scaling Up

Fostering Empowered Participants

Durability

CONCEPTUALRESEARCH &

PLANNING

CapturingAdded Value

Resource & Skills

FosteringEmpowered

Stakeholders

Scaling Up

Fostering Empowered Participants

Durability

Intervention Techniques

Social marketing ‘Whole community’ focus

Corporate social marketing

Integrating social goals

Brand building Developing infrastructure

Participative design Viral marketing techniques

Social ethnography Self-prophesy techniques

Tremor

• P&G Connectors• Word of mouth marketing• Teen and Young mums panels• Made drinking milk cool !

Fresh On Demand

• Multi business partner

• Supply chain food waste

• Consumer food waste

• New technologies

Shared Responsibility

Social science of water efficiency

• Whole town approach• Community-based social marketing

Underpinned by • Partnership engagement plus exemplify• Participative co-design

Water Efficient Durham

• Behaviour challenge – reduce peak summer demand through reduced lawn watering

• Community based social marketing

• Outcome – 30% reduction in first year

• Cost - $19 per household, one fifth of cost of expanding water supply infrastructure

Zaragosa – The Water Saving City

• Behaviour goal – save 1M Litres from homes in one year through retrofits

• Over 150 partners

• City-wide community approach

• Shared responsibility

• Outcome – exceeded target by 18%

• Cost – 70 pesetas/1000 L saved, or 40% of cost of water supply

“Tell me and I’ll forget

Show me and I’ll remember

Involve me and I’ll understand”

Chinese proverb