Behavioural Insights Projects

Are people more likely to file their tax returns correctly if they receive a thank-you in advance or afterwards? Analyses show that thank-you messages have no effect on compliance behaviour. Why this experiment was conducted: positive alternative sought To encourage citizens' tax compliance (i.e., paying their taxes on time and correctly), it is occasional practice to emphasise the risk of checks and fines in case of non-compliance. One drawback of this deterrent method is that it can damage…

Institution: Dutch Tax and Customs Administration

Parents within the Child Support Program can apply for a Change of Assessment (CoA) when they experience a change in their circumstances that might affect their child support payments or entitlements. This is done by lodging an application with the Department of Human Services (DHS). The aim of the study is to examine whether providing timely and salient information about the receipt and process of a claim improves process transparency and saves client time and effort by reducing the need for…

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

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

Countries across the globe suffer from high rates of youth unemployment and inactivity. The Maldives are not immune. Despite efforts by the government to increase employment opportunities among young Maldivians, including the establishment of employment quotas for nationals, results have been underwhelming. Young people face barriers such as social and gender norms around women’s role in society, absence of role models to look up to, and few jobs perceived as “suitable” for…

Institution: World Bank

Team: eMBeD, Mind Behaviour and Development team

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.

Institution: Prime Minister and Cabinet (PMC)

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

To support federal response efforts, Impact Canada is leading the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Behavioural Insights (BI) Tool on COVID-19 in the Canadian context. This work is being led in collaboration with the Public Opinion Research Team within the Privy Council Office’s (PCO) Communications and Consultation Secretariat, which supports the Prime Minister’s Office in coordinating government communications in accordance with key priorities. Insights garnered will…

Institution: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

Home Energy label

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

Team: Behavioral Sciences Team

In connection with the 2022 county elections, an experiment was conducted in Finland for the first time to examine the impact of text message reminders on the voting turnout of young people. In the experiment, young people (aged 18 to 29) were messaged twice about the schedule of the county elections and their right to vote. The aim of the study was to find out whether a text message reminder increases voting turnout. The experiment was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and…

Institution: Prime Minister's Office - Finland

Team: Finnish Behavioural Policy Unit

Determining residents' current preferences for covid-19 vaccination and developing strategies based on the use of behavioural interventions.

Institution: Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic

Team: Behavioral and Experimental Economics Team (BEET)

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

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.

Institution: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)