engage or bust! 2015 - david halpern - the nudge unit

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David Halpern

CEO, BITNational Advisor on What Workswww.behaviouralinsights.co.uk

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“Our government will find intelligent ways to encourage, support and enable people to make better choices for themselves.”

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David CameronPrime Minister

Lord O’DonnellChair of Academic Advisory

Panel Sir Jeremy HeywoodCabinet Secretary and

Head of Steering Board

Behavioural Insights Team

Dr. David Halpern (Director)Owain Service (DD)

Dr. Rory Gallagher (International)

Academic Advisory PanelRichard Thaler (Chicago)Peter Tufano (Oxford)Theresa Marteau (Cambridge)Peter John (UCL) Maurice Birlotti (UCL)Nick Chater (Warwick)Dan Goldstein (LBS)

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Changing the world a nudge at a time…

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SOCIAL

TIMELYATTRACTIVE

EASY

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Suicide – a mysterious reduction…

Hawton, 2007; Kreitman, 1976

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Increasing the number of people with a workplace pension

Before auto-enrolment After auto-enrolment

61%83%

44%

77%

Large employers

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Control + Claimant Name

+ Advisor Name

+ Reciprocity

10%15% 18%

27%

Attract! – getting people back to work

Highest performing text (‘+Reciprocity’)

% of job seekers turning up to the Jobcentre

Total number of SMSs sent = 1,224

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Social - increasing tax payment rates within 23 days (1 month)

Control (8,558)

UK Norm (8,300)

Local Norm (8,403)

Debt Norm (8,779)

Local + Debt Norm (8,643)

33.6% 35.1% 35.9% 37.2% 39.0%

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Timely - increasing diversity in the Police

Non-BME BME

111.9

105.9

112.1110.5

ControlTreatment

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Engagement and productivity

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Carol Dweck

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Example: reducing quit rates of adult learners

• Important• I can succeed• Practice matters• Plan ahead• I belong

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Increased attendance rates

Control Treatment

59%64%

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Reduced dropouts

Control Treatment

25%16%

• Msgs cost 3.5p each

• Largely automated

• Across the year less than £5

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Implementation intention - % off benefits at 13 weeks

Control Treatment Treatment Adjusted

51% 60%

4% Benefit history difference

5% Treatment effect

Now across the UK – and NSW

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People helping people – harnessing reciprocity and the ‘economy of regard’

The visiting

hours are between 2pm to

5pm

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Grant, Norton, Gino…

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Informing choices may change the character of work itself

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Where next?

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“David Cameron’s Vanity Project”

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Press coverage

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Australia

Singapore

Peru

USAIsrael

UK Government

MoldovaUkraine

Belarus

Montenegro

Guatemala

Canada

Oman

UAE

Germany

FinlandNetherlands

Pakistan

India

Mexico

Colombia

Jamaica

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Tax compliance in Latin America: Guatemala case study

Control Original BIT letter BIT + National Pride

BIT + Social Norms

BIT + Deliberate Choice

$6.67 $6.82

$14.19 $16.16$20.64

$24.62

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Public gain (16,807) Public loss (17,159)1.6% 1.5%

12.1%

19.1%

Loss-frame

People with large debts react differentlySegmentation: which messages work for who…

Owe £30,000+

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Productivity, trust, and better informed firms

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Behavioural insights have proven highly impactful on several levels

PoliciesMidata; regulation; public health; php

ProcessesLetters; texts; scripts; web design etc

RCTs ‘What Works’ centres

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