The Program of Applied Research on Climate Action in Canada (PARCA Canada) combines behavioural science (BeSci) insights and methods with robust policy analysis to promote climate action. One of the main areas of focus involves collecting data on emerging topics related to the promotion of climate action in Canada (e.g., transportation, energy use, waste management, etc.) using a large and nationally representative sample of Canadians.
The current project is the second wave of a repeated…
Behavioural Insights Projects
Discover projects applying behavioural science to policy from around the world. Add your own projects, whether completed or still ongoing, to contribute knowledge on BI applications across different countries, policy areas, and topics of interest.
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BI Project
Farmers and the new green architecture of the EU common agricultural policy: a behavioural…
This behavioural experiment with farmers assessed the effect of two policy features of the new green architecture of the EU common agricultural policy on the adoption of environmentally friendly practices: (1) increasing mandatory adoption and (2) shifting budget to voluntary schemes, by decreasing direct payments.
In the spring of 2021, as COVID-19 vaccines became accessible to the US's general public, ideas42 and the Boston Transportation Department launched the FreeRide pilot program to encourage commuters to use transit (subway and bus) and bike share as they commute to work. The FreeRide program was designed to accomplish three main goals:
• Support small businesses and employees who have endured economic hardship during the pandemic.
• Shift employees away from single-occupancy vehicle use,…
While potential voters may register and intend to vote, many registered voters ultimately do not participate in elections. In addition, previous studies have not addressed how the impact of the text messages may vary among causal voters compared to habitual voters. Casual voters are defined as those who had previously only voted in the presidential election or major elections. Habitual voters are defined as those who have a higher propensity to vote (in this case, those who voted in each of the…
The purpose of this survey is to better understand Canadians’ perceptions, knowledge and decision-making related to home energy labels and to explore different design features and information presentations that may drive energy-efficient choices.
BETA partnered with the Australian Energy Regulator to apply behavioural insights to the design of energy bills. We conducted a literature review to identify key research questions. We used 2 online samples involving over 6,300 and 7,800 Australians, respectively to a survey and 6 randomised controlled trials (survey experiments). They investigated the possibility of cognitive overload, and the impact of various bill components on comprehension and intentions.
Challenge
At West Kentucky Community & Technical College (WKCTC), many students were failing or withdrawing from courses, but few used the free tutoring services available on campus. Additionally, faculty had the potential to play a large role in helping facilitate student engagement in tutoring services through referrals, but they weren’t involved enough to have an impact.
Design
To better connect students to campus tutoring services, a series of nine behaviorally designed emails were sent to…
In partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Office of Behavioural Science (BeSciO), the Privy Council Office’s Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU) has launched a multi-wave public opinion research survey to better understand public health challenges in Canada. The 'Health, Attitudes, and Behavioural Insights Trends' (HABIT) survey, combines research methods from the field of behavioural science (BeSci) with robust policy analysis to help inform government policies, programs, and…
BI Project
Micro-SMEs ‘green’ their business: how to increase the likelihood of micro-SMEs applying…
An online experiment investigated how behavioural techniques could be used to increase the likelihood of companies with 2 to 10 employees applying for assistance under the Subsidy Scheme Improving Sustainability of SMEs (SVM ). The results show that an updated version of the website helps to clarify the subsidy. This effect is not reflected in the likelihood of these micro-SMEs actually applying for the subsidy.
Why this experiment was conducted: SVM scheme not being fully utilised
It is…