Understanding behaviour change

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Understanding behaviour change
Safety and Sustainability developing a seamless
approach PACTS conference, London, 11th March 2009

• Dr Jillian Anable
• The Centre for Transport Research
• University of Aberdeen
• j.anable_at_abdn.ac.uk

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Interpretation of my remit

• What can road safety policy and campaigning learn
  from travel demand management?
• What are the synergies between policies aiming to
  achieve a safe and sustainable transport system?

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Key messages

• Not so much about learning from each other as
  learning to work together
• Much to learn from psychology and marketing
  particularly that information is necessary but
  not sufficient to change behaviour
• For most people health is a stronger
  motivator than the environment
• Much to gain from focussing on win win policies

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• (1) What can road safety learn from travel
  demand management?

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But .. isnt that the wrong way round?

• Travel behaviour change experts look to road
  safety policy for inspiration. E.g.
• Strong culture of campaigns and enforcement
• Seat belts and drink driving campaigns are viewed
  as exemplary
• Campaign messages are hard hitting, creative and
  draw upon the heart strings effectively
• Road safety education is better embedded in the
  curriculum than travel awareness

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Common constructs
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If only it were this simple
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But

• Information is necessary but insufficient on its
  own there are multiple objective and subjective
  barriers to behaviour change
• Different barriers are experienced by different
  people there is no one size fits all message or
  solution

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Change needs to be influenced at three levels

• Individual incorporating values, attitudes,
  beliefs, social norms, identity and intentions
• Interpersonal the relationship between
  individuals (trust, social networks)
• Community dynamics of structures and
  institutions (societal norms and culture
  communications and the media)

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Theories of behaviour change
Source Anable, J. Lane, B and Kelay, T. (2006)
An Evidence Base Review of Attitudes to Climate
Change and Transport. Report for the UK
Department for Transport, London.
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The deficit model still prevails
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Awareness raising how not to do it

• If everyone in the UK washed their laundry
  just 10 degrees cooler we would need one less 250
  Megawatt power station!!
• Mistakes with this statement
• What is a 250 MW power station?
• Who cares?
• Where is the benefit at the individual level?
• What if everyone else doesnt do it?
• What if I want to wash my clothes with hot water
  to get the washing cleaner?
• (based on Hounsham (2006))

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Why its not so simple
TRUST in the information provider
Perceived CONTROL
Sense of responsibility
Objective knowledge or PERCEPTION?
Identity
Social norms
Efficacy
Habit
Generalised cost
Cognitive dissonance
Behaviour informs attitudes
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Barriers to behaviour change
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Social norms

• The south blames the north, cyclists blame car
  drivers, activists blame oil companies and almost
  everyone blames George Bush.
• Lack of action by others validates own inactivity
• Look to others to set own moral compass
• Persuasion efforts need to be focused at the
  group level the weight watchers effect
• Information is important to change social norms,
  NOT to secure voluntary change

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The attitude behaviour gap

• No grand unifying theory of travel behaviour
• Theories/ models at a number of different levels
  Individual, Interpersonal and Community
• Stages of change models
• Information is necessary but not sufficient
• Attitudes are only one factor in a complex set of
  motivators

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Minding the gap

• Value-action gap - complex - but need to try and
  understand the barriers to change
• What we think the public ought to know about is
  irrelevant we must start from what they care
  about
• Different for different population segments
• Different for each type of travel behaviour

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Different behaviours need different triggers

• Travel behaviour can change in at least three
  ways
• Change which cars are bought
• Change how cars are driven
• Change how much cars are driven

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Car buying paradoxes
Factors reported when deciding what car to buy

• Capital cost
• Fuel consumption
• Size/Practicality
• Reliability
• Comfort
• Safety
• Running costs
• Style/Appearance

• Performance
• Image
• Brand
• Insurance
• Engine size
• Equipment levels

• Depreciation
• Experience
• Sales Package
• Dealership
• Environment
• Vehicle Emissions
• Road tax
• Alternative fuel

Source DfT 2004
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Segmentation
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Why segment the market?

• Little point in targeting the average motorist/
  traveller
• No one size fit all approach
• Different people are motivated by different
  things
• Allows its user to identify clearly
  differentiated groups within a broad audience,
  and to understand the most effective means by
  which to engage those groups.
• Tried and tested technique in commercial
  marketing psychographic segmentation

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But, there is good segmentation and bad
segmentation

• Segmentation of travellers has relied on
  demographics or behaviours.
• E.g.road safety has tended to segment by young
  drivers, old pedestrians. But
• Need to find psychologically meaningful groups
• Draw upon marketing and psychology
• Design targeted messages
• Investigate how segments change over time

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Malcontented Motorists

• Find driving increasingly stressful
• Moral responsibility to reduce car use
• Some willingness to sacrifice for the sake of
  the environment
• Guilt when the car is used unnecessarily

• BUT they see big problems with all other modes

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Car Complacents

• Do not see problems with car use and congestion
  but also dont love their cars
• No attempt so far to reduce car use
• Motivated by cost, not the environment

• Indifferent about public transport. (but at
  least they dont say they hate it)

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Die Hard Drivers

• Lowest desire to reduce car use
• Highest psychological car dependency
• Care about what their car says about them

• Perceive many problems with most other modes
• Unwilling to sacrifice for the sake of the
  environment

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Aspiring Environmentalists

• Have a practical approach to car use
• Already reduced their car use and will reduce
  further if given the chance

• Dont particularly enjoy car travel enjoy
  cycling and train travel
• Feel responsible for environmental problems

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Car Sceptics

• Do not own a car
• Have a high sense of green awareness and concern
• Have a positive view of public transport and
  cycling

• Enjoy travelling by alternative modes

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Reluctant Riders

• Do not own a car
• Would prefer to have greater access to a car
• Use the car when they have a chance

• Not motivated by environmental issues
• Older and have lower incomes

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Car Aspirers

• Desire car ownership
• High bus use at the moment
• Not motivated by environmental issues
• Socially excluded?

• Potential to shape future habits?

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• (2) What are the synergies between policies
  aiming to achieve a safe sustainable transport
  system?

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Synergies

• Road safety cannot be achieved in isolation from
  other policy objectives
• E.g. A road safety professional working on a
  narrow agenda may suggest moving a bus stop to a
  completely inappropriate location
• We need to start by asking what sort of places we
  want and how transport can meet peoples needs
• Transport delivery is then based on creating
  places for people and road safety is just one
  element
• A joint strategy is what is needed

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Safe environments facilitate sustainable behaviour

• Unattractive and unsafe environments are an
  obstacle to non-motorised modes
• Safe routes to school should not distinguish
  whether the infrastructure, education and
  publicity are about health or environment or
  economy it is all of them
• Imagine a transport word where safety and
  sustainability (and marketing) were built in as
  standard
• Contrast with food market complementary
  legislation, marketing, education and information
  culture which consumes up to 10 of the budget

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Win-win policies

• Safe routes to school
• Speed enforcement / reduction
• Eco-driving
• Urban design
• Cycle routes and training

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CONCLUSIONS

• Not so much about learning from each other as
  learning to work together
• Much to learn from psychology and marketing
  particularly that information is necessary but
  not sufficient to change behaviour
• For most people health is a stronger
  motivator than the environment
• Much to gain from focussing on win win policies