Behavioural Insights Projects

Analysis of the preferences of current blood donors and development of a strategy for launching a behavioral blood donor registry.

Institution: Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic

Team: Behavioral and Experimental Economics Team (BEET)

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. A large-scale field experiment amongst SME employees showed that a phishing test is effective in the short term, but not in the medium or long term. Why this experiment was conducted: SMEs are vulnerable to cyberattacks Phishing is one of the most common types of cybercrime and is frequently the precursor to additional cyber threats, including malware and ransomware attacks. SMEs are vulnerable, with many of them…

Institution: Netherlands Regional Platform of Crime Control North-Holland and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy

We seek to increase voluntary appearances for people with outstanding Warrants to Arrest (WTA) through reminder phone calls from Māori Wardens and Police. This Auckland-based project follows a proof-of-concept trial in the Eastern District, in which Māori Wardens made phone calls to people with outstanding WTAs and we compared voluntary appearances for those who were reached via phone to those who were not. While this first trial showed indicative evidence that phone calls may be effective,…

Institution: Other

Team: Behavioural Science Aotearoa

Previous research by the Program of Applied Research on Climate Action and the Environment (PARCA) team has found that Canadians generally display poor understanding of the relative impacts of different pro-climate actions and have gaps in their understanding of climate change. Following up on these findings, a randomized controlled survey-experiment was conducted in December 2023 to test the impact of several behaviourally-informed interventions on climate literacy outcomes. Results suggested…

Institution: Impact and Innovation Hub (IIU)- Impact Canada

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

How can response rates to questionnaires be increased? In the first quarter of 2023, some of the participants in a CBS survey received a letter in which the call-to-action appeared as far as possible at the top of the letter. The other participants received standard letters. The analyses showed that the standard letters produced a significantly higher response rate than the letters in which the call-to-action was placed at the top. Why this experiment was conducted: high response rate is…

Institution: Statistics Netherlands (CBS)

In a randomised trial we sent reminder letters to self-employed entrepreneurs about their upcoming VAT filing date. Previously it was not common practice for the Hungarian tax administration to send large scale reminders before the due date.

Institution: Ministry of Finance- Hungary

Team: Tax Policy and Research Unit

Rijkswaterstaat conducted a behavioural campaign aimed at urging drivers on the N36 provincial road in Overijssel to keep a safe distance, to be calm and relaxed while driving and to pay attention to the road. The campaign achieved a reduction in distractions, less irritation and an overall improved driving experience. Why this experiment was conducted: many serious accidents on N36 The spotlight has been on the N36 between Hardenberg/Ommen and Almelo/ Wierden for some time due to the frequent,…

Institution: Rijkswaterstaat (Netherlands Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management)

Using sustainable transportation alternatives can often be hindered by car dependence (Haustein, 2021). Within the context of Santa Monica, for example, approximately 75% of Santa Monica residents choose single occupancy vehicle (SOV) commutes to work, and over 50% of households own more than one vehicle (Data USA, n.d.). More generally, vehicle transportation accounts for 62% of greenhouse gas emissions in the city, making it the largest emissions contributor (Johnstone, 2021). However,…

Institution: Duke University

Team: The Center for Advanced Hindsight

Current psychological research has focused a great deal of studying susceptibility to misinformation across a single domain (e.g. COVID-19, Climate Change, etc...). It's not well understood if susceptibility is dependent on the content and context of misinformation. To address this, our team will investigate which predictors of susceptibility are consistent across topic areas.

Institution: Privy Council Office

Team: Impact and Innovation Unit (IIU)

Installation of large, moveable trash containers and trash cans in convenient locations made disposal of large trash bags and litter easier for residents of New York City public housing. A package of indoor and outdoor posters informed people of the new policy and encouraged them to use the new infrastructure.

Institution: Ideas42

Team: Ideas42