Behavioural Insights Projects

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) conducted an experiment to investigate the effect of incomplete prices when booking a holiday home. Websites that display incomplete prices cause greater uncertainty, make choosing more difficult, undermine trust and give the feeling of deception compared to websites displaying transparent prices. Why this experiment was conducted: unclear picture of actual costs In 2021, the ACM conducted a study into effective transparency. The aim was…

Institution: Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM)

The 'Fit op jouw manier' (Fit your way) campaign aims to encourage overweight individuals to get after. The campaign successfully reaches the target audience, motivating them with tips that they then practice. For example, more people now regularly take the stairs instead of the life or escalator. Why this experiment was conducted: combating overweight and obesity The Prevention Agreement aims to reduce the proportion of overweight adults from 50% in 2018 to 38% by 2040. A healthy lifestyle…

Institution: Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

Five large cities in Noord-Brabant and the provincial authorities investigated how to improve cycling safety through behavioural interventions. They placed signs and markings along cycle routes in 's-Hertogenbosch, Breda, Eindhoven, Helmond and Tilburg. Half of the interventions had an effect; the number of dangerous situations decreased. Why this experiment was conducted: redesigning road layouts is not always possible Six locations in towns and cities in Noord-Brabant were identified as…

Institution: Noord-Brabant

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 this experiment, various emails were sent to students in senior general secondary education (HAVO) and preuniversity education (VWO) to inform them about open days of teacher training programmes. The subject line that most caught their attention was ‘Are you looking for job security, challenge and a wide range of career opportunities?’ as well as a subject line in which a role model was introduced. Where emails mention teachers' starting salaries, students most often click links to more…

Institution: Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science

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

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)

Online experiment tested two novel public health messages on social distancing. •Messages focused on potential to infect vulnerable people or many people. •Participants (N = 500) randomized to see control or (one of two) treatment posters. •Behavioral intentions and acceptability judgements of behaviors measured later. •Both posters increased caution with respect to social distancing.

Institution: Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI)

Team: ESRI Behavioural Research Unit

We all know that if a 13-year-old has his mind set on something, it is quite difficult to try to change it. This is exactly the type of challenge that the Ministry of Education in Peru is approaching with students in public schools and high schools, targeting those from low-income households in particular. Teenagers often have pre-conceived ideas about their own intelligence, which influences how they react to academic challenges. If a student thinks he is not smart enough, he believes there is…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

Tax amnesties, a limited-time opportunity for a specified group of taxpayers to pay a defined amount of tax liabilities, are broadly used across countries because they generate short-term revenue gains. However, evidence suggest that tax amnesties fail to have long-term effects, and in some cases, they generate negative effects on compliance. With the goal of evaluating the impact of tax amnesties, this experiment relies on the behavioral principle of limited attention and redesigns the…

Institution: Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Team: IDB Behavioral Economics Group