Hi all,
You may know about Cape Town, South Africa’s struggles with water shortages several years ago. You may be less familiar with how cleverly they used behavioral science to address those challenges. Let me fill you in.
Cape Town had experienced many consecutive dry winters, which resulted in one of the most severe water shortages the city had ever been through at the end of 2017. In reaction to these shortages, Cape Town officials implemented numerous punitive measures, such as water restrictions and fines to citizens for wasting water. These measures proved to be insufficient, however, as residents only partially complied. The city realized that it needed a different approach. In 2018, the government of Cape Town launched an ambitious, comprehensive behavior change campaign that aimed to reduce water usage at the individual level. The campaign focused on Day Zero, which was the day in which the city’s water would run dry. That was forecast as April 22, 2018. If that were to occur, city residents would have to visit water collection sites to meet their basic needs. The city implemented several strategies to avoid Day Zero.
Here are five key features of their successful behavior change campaign:
A clear behavioral outcome: Residents were advised to keep their water consumption to 50 litres or less per day. Campaign communications even included a specific breakdown of how much water to consume per daily activity. This mental aid provided much-needed clarity for residents.
Constructive feedback: The city created a public water map indicating which households were saving the most water. By doing so, they created new social norms based on positive behavior and constructive feedback, not on naming and shaming.
Prompts: The city reminded people to take shorter showers by creating catchy two-minute songs that people could listen to and use to time their showers.
Gamification: Local schools began to compete to save the most water. They used smart water meter technology called Dropula together with behavioral interventions. Schools that saved the most amount of water were awarded prizes. Gamifying water usage made these behaviors visible and introduced a form of public commitment to saving water.
A change of mindset: The central idea behind the above strategies was that “we’re all in this together”. Although the campaign was focused on individual behavior change, the mindset was to move people to think not only about themselves and their families, but also about the collective, or the greater good. This coincided with a shift from negative to positive reinforcement. Results? In March 2018, the city announced that it had successfully avoided Day Zero. An important lesson here is that fines and restrictions alone may not change behavior. Also, a shift in narrative from crisis to resilience can inspire people to work together to avoid negative consequences.
To learn more about Cape Town’s behavior change campaign, click here.
You may know about Cape Town, South Africa’s struggles with water shortages several years ago. You may be less familiar with how cleverly they used behavioral science to address those challenges. Let me fill you in.
Cape Town had experienced many consecutive dry winters, which resulted in one of the most severe water shortages the city had ever been through at the end of 2017. In reaction to these shortages, Cape Town officials implemented numerous punitive measures, such as water restrictions and fines to citizens for wasting water. These measures proved to be insufficient, however, as residents only partially complied. The city realized that it needed a different approach. In 2018, the government of Cape Town launched an ambitious, comprehensive behavior change campaign that aimed to reduce water usage at the individual level. The campaign focused on Day Zero, which was the day in which the city’s water would run dry. That was forecast as April 22, 2018. If that were to occur, city residents would have to visit water collection sites to meet their basic needs. The city implemented several strategies to avoid Day Zero.
Here are five key features of their successful behavior change campaign:
A clear behavioral outcome: Residents were advised to keep their water consumption to 50 litres or less per day. Campaign communications even included a specific breakdown of how much water to consume per daily activity. This mental aid provided much-needed clarity for residents.
Constructive feedback: The city created a public water map indicating which households were saving the most water. By doing so, they created new social norms based on positive behavior and constructive feedback, not on naming and shaming.
Prompts: The city reminded people to take shorter showers by creating catchy two-minute songs that people could listen to and use to time their showers.
Gamification: Local schools began to compete to save the most water. They used smart water meter technology called Dropula together with behavioral interventions. Schools that saved the most amount of water were awarded prizes. Gamifying water usage made these behaviors visible and introduced a form of public commitment to saving water.
A change of mindset: The central idea behind the above strategies was that “we’re all in this together”. Although the campaign was focused on individual behavior change, the mindset was to move people to think not only about themselves and their families, but also about the collective, or the greater good. This coincided with a shift from negative to positive reinforcement. Results? In March 2018, the city announced that it had successfully avoided Day Zero. An important lesson here is that fines and restrictions alone may not change behavior. Also, a shift in narrative from crisis to resilience can inspire people to work together to avoid negative consequences.
To learn more about Cape Town’s behavior change campaign, click here.
