Behavioural Insights Projects

Saving while being overdrawn costs consumers money. The interest they have to pay is far more than the interest they receive. An experiment tested two interventions aimed at encouraging consumers to use their savings to clear any overdraft, by pre-entering a repayment amount and giving explicit information about costs. These interventions lead to better choices amongst many, although not yet all, consumers. Why this experiment was conducted: saving while being overdrawn costs Dutch citizens…

Institution: Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM)

Washing your hands regularly with soap and water is an effective and easy way of reducing the risk of people falling ill with COVID-19, influenzas or a cold, or contracting other viral illnesses. Stickers and posters were developed focusing on reframing, nudging and habit stacking. Displaying the posters in the office environment led to an increase in handwashing amongst employees. Soap consumption went up. Why this experiment was conducted: improved hygiene standards in the workplace is the…

Institution: Netherlands Ministry of Justice and Security; Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport; and RIVM

Methods Two preregistered randomized controlled trials (N = 253 and N = 674) measured consumption in a lab and the home environment. Cues were salient, labeled stripes that demarcated single portions. Participants were randomized to cue condition or control. Consumption was measured without awareness. Results The main preregistered effect of the visual cue was not statistically significant. There was some variation by subgroup. In Study 1, men were more likely to eat the whole can of potato…

Institution: Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

Team: ESRI Behavioural Research Unit

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: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

As rewards increasingly become an instrument used by policymakers, it is important to find a reward mechanism that does not crowd out intrinsic motivation, is long lasting, and has positive spillover effects on third parties. A policy innovation introduced by the Municipality of Santa Fe (Argentina) allowed us to evaluate different mechanisms for rewarding tax compliance – participation in a lottery (financial motive), public recognition (moral channel), and provision of a visible and durable…

Institution: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Team: IDB Behavioral Economics Group

In 2023 the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) partnered with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to expand on a 2020 survey undertaken by CSIRO that explored Australian attitudes to specific elements of the energy transition (with an emphasis on solar farms). For example, the perceptions of risks and benefits. This project has now expanded to further examine Australians’ acceptance (commonly referred to as ‘social…

Institution: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

Team: Behavioural Science Unit

How does information on the job market affect the expectations and preferences of pupils in pre-vocational education? A large online platform for career development and career counselling provided pupils who were attending pre-vocational colleges with information on the career prospects of professions in which they are interested. This information resulted in pupils revising their expectations, and made them more likely to aim for jobs with better career prospects.

Institution: Behavioural Insights Network (BIN NL)

Water scarcity remains common in Brazil, especially in the Recife Metropolitan Region (RMR) in the State of Pernambuco. The RMR is subject to particularly high levels of non-revenue water—which occur when high volumes of water produced do not generate revenue for the supplier. While some losses may be due to structural and operational inefficiencies such as leaky pipes, clients also play a key role by defaulting on their water payments or installing bypasses to consume water free of charge.…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

PROJECT SUMMARY Text messages were delivered to parents of children from 3 to 5 years old enrolled in public preschools in Uruguay using a government mobile app. These messages targeted malleable factors producing students’ absences and sought to influence parent’s attitudes and beliefs about preschool attendance to increase children’s presence in the classroom. IMPACT Children in remote areas increased attendance by 1.5 days, suggesting an increase in cognitive development of 0.20 SD.…

Institution: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Team: IDB Behavioral Economics Group

In June 2016, Oxera and the Nuffield Centre for Experimental Social Sciences (CESS) published the results of an experiment testing the effectiveness of different ‘prompts’ in encouraging consumers to shop around. The study, commissioned by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), found that personalised messages were the most effective in stimulating product comparisons, while generic messaging appealing to social norms also had a significant impact.

Institution: Oxera Consulting

Team: Behavioural Economics Team