Behavioural Insights Projects

Rijkswaterstaat conducted a behavioural campaign aimed at urging drivers on the N36 provincial road in Overijssel to keep a safe distance, to be calm and relaxed while driving and to pay attention to the road. The campaign achieved a reduction in distractions, less irritation and an overall improved driving experience. Why this experiment was conducted: many serious accidents on N36 The spotlight has been on the N36 between Hardenberg/Ommen and Almelo/ Wierden for some time due to the frequent,…

Institution: Rijkswaterstaat (Netherlands Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management)

In keeping with current thinking on violence prevention, the Violence Prevention Initiative @Schools (VPI@Schools) project focuses on strengthening protective factors for those learners most at risk of being victims of violence and reducing risk factors for those learners most at risk of perpetrating violence. Using a behaviourally informed project, the direct aim of the VPI@Schools project is to help learners develop alternative, positive automatic responses and change their beliefs and norms…

Institution: Western Cape Government (WCG)

Team: BI4Gov

Climate change is undoubtedly a challenge with deep - and increasingly complex - behavioural roots. High profile efforts are already underway in Canada through federal levers, like the carbon tax, energy efficiency regulations, and investments in clean technology, that further the Government of Canada's goals for decarbonization, electrification, energy-efficiency, and nature-based solutions. An additional tool to contribute to these efforts is evidenced-based, data-driven behavioural science…

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

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

Using sustainable transportation alternatives can often be hindered by car dependence (Haustein, 2021). Within the context of Santa Monica, for example, approximately 75% of Santa Monica residents choose single occupancy vehicle (SOV) commutes to work, and over 50% of households own more than one vehicle (Data USA, n.d.). More generally, vehicle transportation accounts for 62% of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, making it the largest emissions contributor (Johnstone, 2021). However,…

Institution: Duke University

Team: The Center for Advanced Hindsight

'Returning to employment? Don't forget about your benefits!' When individuals receiving benefits return to employment having been registered as unemployed, it is important that they report the change in their income to the Benefits Unit on time, to avoid repayment demands. Why do individuals not comply with this notification requirement? And what interventions could improve compliance? A revised letter from the UWV Employee Insurance Agency and an additional page on the Benefits Unit website…

Institution: Netherlands Employee Insurance Agency (UWV)

In Indonesia, a replication of a Growth Mindset intervention had significant impacts on student academic performance – particularly in schools located in regions that could benefit the most. Student learning outcomes in Indonesia have remained lower than their regional neighbors and other middle-income countries, as suggested by the results of the Program for International Student Assessment – PISA. Aside from socioeconomic conditions and access to educational resources, student motivation…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

Landfills are a major contributor to methane emissions in the United States. By diverting organic waste from landfills, composting may reduce the global warming effects caused by methane. However, only a small proportion of compostable food is currently composted. This is because of barriers to composting that are both structural (lack of public composting infrastructure) and psychological (insufficient knowledge about and interest in composting among prospective users). We set out to develop a…

Institution: Duke University

Team: The Center for Advanced Hindsight

To help improve the impact of cyber security advice for individuals and small businesses, BETA partnered with the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) to design and test different formats of advice. We conducted focus groups and two survey experiments (surveys with embedded randomised controlled trials) to understand whether behavioural insights concepts are effective in shifting people’s intentions to enact safer cyber security practices. We surveyed small and medium business (SMB) owners…

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

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

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…

Institution: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

Analysis of the preferences of current blood donors and development of a strategy for launching a behavioral blood donor registry.

Institution: Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic

Team: Behavioral and Experimental Economics Team (BEET)