Behavioural Insights Projects

An online experiment with EU consumers was run to assess the relative effectiveness of three sustainability labelling approaches: (1) positive labels - only identifying products with the best sustainability performance, (2) negative labels - only identifying products with the worst sustainability performance, and (3) graded labels - conveying the relative sustainability of all products. Results suggest that graded labels are the most effective to steer consumer toward more sustainable purchase…

Institution: European Commission

Team: JRC Competence Centre on Behavioural Insights

Pacific Island Nations are facing a crisis of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) - chronic diseases which are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural facts. NCDs are the leading cause of mortality in the region, accounting for 75% of deaths. Unhealthy diets in particular have been recognized as a risk factor for high rates of obesity. Residents of the Pacific Island Nations have some of the highest rates of obesity in the world, with 92.9% and 80.7% of…

Institution: Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

Team: Busara Center for Behavioral Economics

This study aims to: 1) Use a Discrete Choice Experiment (or DCE) to explore and estimate Canadians’ preferences for different attributes of a potential ZEV purchase or lease. 2) Use an online RCT to explore the impact of varying messengers (government vs. personal testimonial) and varying messages (about driving range vs. affordability) on individuals' intent to switch to a ZEV 3) Explore Canadians’ knowledge of ZEVs 4) Generate baseline evidence other elements of decarbonized transport not…

Institution: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

Previous research by the Program of Applied Research on Climate Action and the Environment (PARCA) team has found that Canadians generally display poor understanding of the relative impacts of different pro-climate actions and have gaps in their understanding of climate change. Following up on these findings, a randomized controlled survey-experiment was conducted in December 2023 to test the impact of several behaviourally-informed interventions on climate literacy outcomes. Results suggested…

Institution: Impact and Innovation Hub (IIU)- Impact Canada

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

BETA is working with the Department of Social Services to evaluate the effectiveness of various behaviourally informed approaches on increasing workplace giving.

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

Team: Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA)

BETA Survey Series: Towards Net Zero – BETA will conduct a survey series to fill current information gaps and better understand barriers and enablers to making high impact household decisions that limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Institution: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

Team: Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA)

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 the launch of a longitudinal survey that will, over time, collect data on research questions of interest to the promotion of climate action in Canada (e.g. transportation, home energy use, waste management, engagement with nature, preparedness for extreme weather,…

Institution: Impact and Innovation Hub (IIU)- Impact Canada

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

The Health Quality & Safety Commission (‘the Commission’) uses data from the National Adult Inpatient Experience Survey to understand patient experience and evaluate quality of patient care in hospitals. Two questions (See Appendix 1A) pertaining to patients’ understanding of medication side-effects and condition management have consistently received low scores on the survey every quarter. Ogilvy conducted Phase 1 of ‘Raising the Bar’ research for the Commission, investigating these…

Institution: Health Quality Commission New Zealand

Team: Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand

All employees working in Australia are entitled to a minimum wage and minimum standards of employment. The underpayment of wages and entitlements is a serious social and economic issue which affects workers, businesses and the community. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) uses audits to keep businesses on track—and we set out to see if these audits could be even more effective. The result was a win-win for workers, businesses and the community. Employees were $900 better off on average, instances…

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

Team: Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA)

Small businesses were sent behaviorally-informed emails encouraging them to apply to the Growth Vouchers program. A key part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ (BIS) remit is to provide support to small businesses in the United Kingdom. BIS has explored a number of initiatives to help these businesses grow. One of these initiatives was ‘Growth Vouchers’ – a program of matched funding with a £30 million budget. Businesses could apply for funding to help subsidize the…

Institution: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)

Team: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)