SHAPING CONSUMER HABITS

Insights from social science

Dr. Ruth Doyle

Sustainability Communications Forum

22 May 2014, London

Trinity College Dublin

Geography Department

rdoyle4@tcd.ie

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. Behaviour change agenda

– Targeting the engrained habits / practices

1. Latest social science thinking – focus on everyday PRACTICES

– 3 key areas to target: Individual, Social, & Material.

2. Examples

– Successful initiatives targeting those 3 key areas.

3. CONSENSUS – HomeLabs

– collaborative, action-based research to explore practice change.

1. Conclusion

– Key lessons

WHY BEHAVIOUR CHANGE?

• Behaviour change – part of agenda to achieve sustainable lifestyles –public & private sector attention.

• 75% of our direct resource consumption linked with everyday practices in 3 key areas:

1. Mobility | 2. Eating & Drinking | 3. Housing (water & energy)

• Businesses are increasingly focusing on “Use Phase” – how people choose, use & dispose of their products & services

• Everyday practices = habitual => hard to change!

INDIVIDUAL

Values

Knowledge

Costs & benefits

Emotions

Skills

INFRASTRUCTURE

Products

technologies

Systems of provision

SOCIAL

Norms

Meanings

Social learning

Peers & leaders

EVERYDAY PRACTICES ARE

INFLUENCED BY 3 KEY DRIVERS:

+ +

Behaviour change initiatives are more successful if they target all 3 contexts:

Individual, Social & Infrastructural

E.G. DURHAM WATER, ONTARIO

• Experimented with different combinations of interventions in 4 different groups:

RESULTS:

• Information campaign on own = limited impact

• Those targeted with all interventions = 54% reduction in water use (17% over time)

• $80,000 to implement & financial savings of $945,000. Programme was 1/5th

the cost of the alternative which was to expand the water infrastructure

(Source: www.toolsofchange.com)

INDIVIDUAL

1. Information leaflets

INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Lawn watering gauge

2. Sign hung on water tap –

water every other day

SOCIAL

1. Community champions:

door-to-door visits

2. Pledges to water lawn

every other day

INDIVIDUAL

From environmental messaging to health & convenience

• Health, wellbeing & convenience drivers

• Open to habit change during life-changes (moving home, baby, retirement…)

Balance emotional messaging with rational information

• Emotions, humor & indulgence – targeted marketing

Skills

• Building practical capabilities

• E.G. Love Food Hate Waste; Ariel Turn to 30.

• Menu planners

• Let’s Get Cooking clubs

• LFHW App

• Labeling

• Ariel ‘Cool Clean’

• Usage instructions

• IIPs, “if-this-then-that plans”

SOCIAL NORMS

Sao Paolo ‘pee in the shower’

Mayor of Bogota– videoed himself

showering to encourage citizens to

wash with less water – shown on TV

advertsCool-Biz campaign Japan.

Stimulating playful

debate and disruption

of social norms.

SOCIAL COMPARISONS

PEER BENCHMARKING

• Social comparisons have more impact on conservation behaviour than

appeals to save the environment / money (Nolan et al., 2008) – e.g. Opower

• “You are part of the 90% who decided to reduce your consumption”

ENHANCING VISIBILITY OF CONSUMPTION

• Nova Scotia, backyard composting – social motivation

INFRASTRUCTURE

CHOICE EDITING

• Changes to products for greater efficiency (e.g. Comfort One Rinse)

• Default settings – e.g. washing machines default to 30°c

CHOICE ARCHITECTURE

• Providing people with necessary tools – e.g. cues, thermostats, timers

• Positioning of products within aisles etc…making it easy!!

Comfort One Rinse Thermostat.

CONSENSUS

PHASE ONE 2009-2013

• Collaborative visioning process to explore integrated Individual, Social & Infrastructural

interventions for sustainable washing & eating practices.

PHASE TWO 2014

• Working with industry, public and NGO partners to prototype new ICT, shower devices,

communications & educational strategies

• HomeLab: Implement and evaluate in homes.

• Cross-sectoral recommendations & spin-off

CONCLUSIONS

• Behaviour change = holy grail of environmental action, yet success has been

limited.

• Latest research shows changing behaviour = about changing PRACTICES,

engrained everyday habits

• Our everyday habits are influenced by 3 key forces:

1. Individual –increase drive, awareness, & provide skills

2. Social – social motivation & learning, norms, peer benchmarking

3. Infrastructure – making it easy, choice architecture, triggers & nudges

• Integrated approach essential – opportunity for collaborative action

• CONSENSUS is piloting this new approach.

THANK YOU

Dr. Ruth Doyle

E: rdoyle4@tcd.ie | L: www.linkedin.com/in/ruthdoyler/

www.consensus.ie

Trinity College Dublin,

Geography Department

www.consensus.ie