Hi all, The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) in the UK has created a new framework that provides practitioners with four simple ways to apply behavioral insights in their programs: make the behavior easy, attractive, social, and timely (EAST). Here are the details: Easy · Use defaults. People will stick with pre-set options because it is the path of least resistance, so defaults should be chosen carefully. For example, presenting renewable energy packages as the default increased adoption from 3% to 80% among Swiss households. This effect was sustained years later. · Reduce the effort required. Even small barriers can have dramatic effects on behavior. Every extra step might reduce the likelihood that people will act, so aim to reduce both practical (easier to do) and cognitive (easier to understand) obstacles. For example, by supporting US university students in completing their application forms, attendance rates increased from 28% to 36%. Attractive · Attract attention and frame the behavior. Getting someone’s attention is the first step toward persuasion. New and personalized information is more salient; the same idea will have different effects depending on how it is framed. The built environment can also direct our attention toward particular actions. For example, adhering gold coin stickers to the floor of a Chinese factory decreased the amount of waste left on the floor by over 20%. Workers believed that the coins were a gift of good luck from their employer and did not want to cover them. Interestingly, the stickers worked better than factory rules and financial incentives that had been previously applied. Social · Demonstrate that most people have adopted the desired behavior. Observing or being told what most people are doing can encourage others to do the same. Telling people what behaviors most people approve of can also be effective. However, be aware that these social norms can backfire if the people engaging in the behavior are seen as belonging to a different group, or if someone learns that fewer people than anticipated are engaging in the behavior. Timely Choose the right moment. Behaviors vary depending on the time of day, the day of the week, and a time in someone’s life. This means that the same offer made at different times will have varying effects. For example, in Qatar, many more people were screened for diabetes when the offer was made during Ramadan because people were fasting anyway, as the test required. To read more and/or download the full handbook with the EAST principles, click here.
