Behavioural Insights Team
The Behavioural Insights Team was established by the Conservative and Liberal Democrats UK coalition government in 2010 to encourage individuals to adopt behaviour that benefits themselves and wider society. The team will devise ways to promote preferred behaviour by using behavioural economics and behavioural science in policy making.[1] There are plans to let the unit run for two years, winding down in summer 2012. [2] Based in the Cabinet Office the Behavioural Insights Team steering group is chaired by Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell who claims that the work done by the group "supports the Coalition Government’s commitment to reducing regulatory burdens on business and society, and achieving its goals as cheaply and effectively as possible" [3] The Behavioural Insights Team works closely with the Public Health Responsibility Deal networks, the Change4Life campaign and the corporations who comprise its membership, the Food Standards Agency and a number of government departments.
The team consists of academics and civil servants led by Dr David Halpern. "Halpern identified the origins of what is now BIT in "deregulatory thrust", in part linked to the Better Regulation Executive. He understands the team's role as raising awareness of "less cognitive, less familiar approaches" as alternatives to legislation, pricing mechanisms and advertising and social marketing".[4]
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The Independent reports that the unit "draws inspiration from the Chicago University professor Richard Thaler and his colleague Cass Sunstein, both form the University of Chicago, whose book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness is required reading for Conservative front-benchers" [5] Richard Thaler is an unpaid adviser to the Behavioural Insights Team. [6]
The projects undertaken by the group will not involve regulation but will promote individual choices and working with corporate and other private sector partners. [7]
Projects that Underpin the approach
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The team published a report that sets out where opportunities for applying behavioural insights to public health they give example of their work and areas that provide the opportunity to apply the approach. The case studies used demonstrate the importance of working with corporate partners, targeting individuals and social norms marketing techniques in the application of the behavioural insights theory.
- Reducing alcohol related harm, the work of the team is strongly influenced by Social Norms Theories and use evidence from America to support this approach. This approach has been used on many US college campuses and is being piloted in various UK projects. Social Norms approaches are heavily funded and favoured by the alcohol Industry (See National Social Norms Institute). The Welsh Assembly and the Drinkaware Trust are working together to deliver Social Norms pilots across Welsh campuses.[8]
- Promoting organ donation by using a system of 'promoted choice' where new applicants for driving licences and replacement licences will be asked to become organ donors in a bid to increase donor numbers. [9]
- Smoking cessation will be encouraged in a pilot run by Boots and supported by the Behavioural Insights Team and the Department of Health will encourage smokers to make a commitment to stop smoking. Participants will be tested to see if they are smoke free and subsequently rewarded. [10]
- Targeting obesity by encouraging individuals to make healthier choices is one of the key aims of the Behavioural Insights Team. The team have been inspired by research form the USA, where changing the design of trolleys was found to increase consumption of healthier foods without reducing retailers profits. The partnership between Asda and the Department of Health as a component of the Change4Life Campaign where social norms messages were placed in trolleys is regarded by the Behavioural Insights Team as a success and they plan to encourage others to trial similar methods. [11] It is unclear how the success of this scheme was determined, on many other measures Change4Life does not appear to have done much to promote public health.
- Reducing childhood obesity and encouraging children to eat more fresh fruit and vegetables is another key aim of the team. The Behavioural Insights Team and the Department of Health have entered into a deal with Lazy Town an Icelandic children's television programme that the Cabinet Office regard as instrumental in a marginal decline in childhood obesity rates in Iceland since 1996. The programme asks children aged 4-7 and parents to enter into a contract where they agree to eat healthily, be more active and go to bed early. Lazy Town branding that called fruit and vegetables "sports candy" ,as they do in the show, led to a 22% increase in sales at one supermarket. [12]
- Car labelling
- Food hygiene
- Charitable giving
People
Gus O'Donnell | Oliver Letwin | Henry Ashworth | David Halpern | Richard Thaler
References
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee Publications CHAPTER 5: THE GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO CHANGING BEHAVIOUR accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee Publications CHAPTER 5: THE GOVERNMENT APPROACH TO CHANGING BEHAVIOUR accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Martin Hickman 3rd January 2011, The Independent Nudge, nudge, wink wink... How the Government wants to change the way we think accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office, Behavioural Insights Team Applying Behavioural Insights to Health accessed 20th September
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights to Health accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights to Health accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights to Health accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights to Health accessed 21st September 2011
- ↑ Cabinet Office Applying Behavioural Insights to Health accessed 21st September 2011
