Fishburn Hedges

14.01.2011

In its Public Health White Paper published back in December, the Government set out its mission to make us all better, stronger, happier citizens.

No small task.

And communications will be key to achieving it.

Behaviour change – specifically ‘nudge’ - theory has been inextricably linked to the public health challenge. How do you nudge people into stopping smoking, drinking less, eating sensibly?

The truth is, you can’t make people change. Nudge is about understanding the reasons for our behaviour (habit, lifestyle, societal influences) and then finding ways to shift the framework in which our decisions are made. In short, creating the right conditions for change to occur

At Fishburn Hedges we’ve got a long history in campaigning to get people to stop smoking, drink less, recycle more, get Chlamydia tested, get educated… you name it.

So how have ‘behavioural theories’ evolved and developed over time?  Here is a brief rundown.

1. Information is key?

Early theories were based on the idea that the critical factor in influencing a person’s behaviour was simply to provide them with the ‘right’ information – making sure your GP gives you the details on the negative health effects of smoking for example.

However experience shows that this isn’t enough in itself to guarantee action. In fact the health impact of smoking is still the least likely motivator for quitting.

Psychologists and economists then started looking at how information is ‘framed’[1] when it’s passed on - how the context in which it’s given to a person influences how they respond and what they do with it.

2. The value of choice

This led onto an exploration of how people interpret information and the choices available to them, in terms of the potential value they offer to the individual (or, conversely, the risk they represent).

To put it another way, the individual in question may assess any choice by looking at the potential ‘units of satisfaction’[2] they might get out of choosing it.

Working on the Government’s alcohol harm reduction campaign, the first challenge we had was finding a way to ‘sell’ the medium- and long-term gains from drinking over the immediate satisfaction of a few drinks at the end of the day... a tough challenge. 

3. It’s personal

But value (and ‘satisfaction’) is subjective. So we need to look more broadly at the environment the individual lives in. How do their personal circumstances impact the relative value (or units of satisfaction) they place on any potential outcome?

For example, offering someone £500 today could have more value if they are strapped for cash than offering £1,000 in 6 months’ time, yet in other circumstances they could see the choice quite differently.

We also need to factor in personality and lifestyle. How do a person’s habits and emotions impact on their ability to make the most rational – and ‘valuable’ – choice?

Take a new mother’s decision on whether or not to breast-feed. There’s clear evidence on the benefits of breast-feeding. But if their mother didn’t do it, if their grandmother didn’t do it (i.e. if it wasn’t an assumed part of motherhood), wouldn’t it seem rational for them not to?

4. Peer pressure

We also need to factor in the societal influences on our decision making. How does our sense of social identity[3] – the way we view ourselves in the context of our ‘community’ - influence the choices we make?

To a greater or lesser extent, we make decisions in the context of the ‘peer group’ we belong within, and against the accepted ‘norms’ of that group. As communicators, we can work with advocates within a group or community, for instance, to begin to influence or shift these social norms.

Within nudge theory there is also an argument for incentivising change – offering reward to create an initial shift, which, over time, can become the new norm. This sort of initiative becoming more common – some local councils are running recycling schemes where residents are given a cash incentive to recycle more.

5. Creating the right conditions

Finally, we also need to look at the ‘facilitating conditions’[4] that could make a difference in the choices people make. An individual can have the intention to change, or to make a different choice, but if the right circumstances don’t exist, it’s tough for them to turn intention into action.

For example, if we want people to stop smoking, we must ensure local stop smoking services are readily available. We can’t convince working mothers to do more exercise if we don’t also provide access to reliable childcare. And there would be no point in promoting contraception use if people couldn’t get easy (and non-judgemental) access to the range of contraceptive devices.

Influencing choice

This is just a snapshot of behavioural theory. The other side of the coin is an understanding of the ways in which we can actively influence the choices people make.

Models and theories help inform our work but we don't believe any two campaigns or audiences are the same.

So, first and foremost, we start by getting under the skin  of the audiences we are trying to reach and then drawing on the relevant behavioural theories to identify what will determine people's willingness and ability to change.

You can find out more about our work in this area here.

 

[1] Principles of Hyperbolic Discounting, Framing, Inertia

[2] Simon’s Bounded Rationality (1955)

[3] Turner and Tajfel’s Social Identity Theory (1979)

[4] Triandis Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour