"Britons just need nudge to drive better or opt for healthier drinks, says report"
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Nudge theory
(11 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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rewriting letters to drivers caught speeding in the West Midlands to draw attention to why speed limits are set
I'm not surprised that this approach is brought in as consultancy. I can't think of anyone I worked with in CEC who would or could have taken this approach. In part the problem would be assessing the effect to justify more of the same.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I went to a presentation from the Nudge unit a couple of years ago. Their evidence from experimental approaches to changing behaviour was absolutely fascinating (I'm an evaluator) - see their impact on becoming an organ donor. Just because its got a silly name don't discount their methods and success.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I'm not discounting anything. I'm saying that getting this kind of innovative thinking accepted in a large organisation presents real difficulties.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I went to that presentation also very good it was to. The thinking has been used by departments for nearly a decade.
Like incentives switching default may not always be used sensibly. Think of diesel cars there was an incentive to drive them (lower duty) if was a default and nudge was in vogue at the time people may have been nudged towards diesel.Posted 6 years ago # -
Incentive to buy diesel used to be cheaper fuel and better fuel consumption rates. Not sure if that counts as a nudge?
When on holiday in ultra swish Southwold, the ultra swish off licence aske you politely, would you like to round up your payment your are making on your card to the nearest pound as a donation to charity. I invariably agree. This might be a nudge.
The Stop sign 7.3% decrease and even the 20% decrease in reoffending rated for those caught speeding. Could be within the standard error of measurement? Also the fine for speeding I am guessing stops most people?
So some nudges sound more likely to me than others. I may do some further googling.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I meant the lower road duty based on carbon not nox the simlar company car rates differences also. Although lower fuel cost may be an incentive not a planned incentive to change behaviour. According to the book an incentive is not the same as a nudge even if planned a nudge may typically be changing the default opt in from opt out Such as the donor default.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Liked the difference between a nudge and a shove. Liked the fake plastic fly in the gents urinal I am assuming to improve aim? Aldi and marks and Spencer put the healthier options at tills now instead of sweets.
Lot of internet marketing techniques trying just to get you to part with cash also being roped into the concept. Lot of critique of evidence .
So I jink it is a clever idea, indeed th inventor won a Nobel prize. Just not sure it stacks up, plenty of economic theories like that. E.g. Friedman, money supply.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I like the idea of this working - e.g. I certainly think twice about what I order if a menu has calorie counts on it. However, I'm not so sure about the speeding one. The report states:
"Following a clustered RCT [randomised control trial] over 19 weeks, with a cohort of 15,346 drivers, we found that the intervention reduced reoffending by 20 per cent within six months of an individual’s offence in the West Midlands alone."
Quite a claim - but we have no idea of the re-offending rates amongst the two groups and whether the difference is due to the new letters or some other factor(s). The chance of being caught twice within six months would seem to be both pretty low and subject to a considerable element of chance. Still, this might all be accounted for and not mentioned in the report.
Posted 6 years ago # -
e.g. I certainly think twice about what I order if a menu has calorie counts on it
Me too! But, er. Not necessarily in the intended direction. (I don't like it when I can see that I'm being "nudged". It makes me contrary.)
Posted 6 years ago # -
the intervention reduced reoffending by 20 per cent
And this could be regression towards the mean if reoffending rates were unusually high.
Posted 6 years ago #
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