Commitments, norms & the £1billion tax letter STEVE J MARTIN

1. Commitments, norms & the £1billion tax letter STEVE J MARTIN

2. “It turns out that the environmental and context effects on behaviour and decision making are a lot stronger than most people expect.” Danny Kahneman, 2008

3. Principles of Social Influence • Reciprocity • Authority • Social Proof • Scarcity • Consistency • Liking “Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion”, N.J. Goldstein, S.J. Martin, R. B. Cialdini Published by Profile Books (2007)

4. Principles of Social Influence • Reciprocity • Authority • Social Proof • Scarcity • Consistency • Liking “Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion”, N.J. Goldstein, S.J. Martin, R. B. Cialdini Published by Profile Books (2007)

5. People underestimate the influence of social proof Correlation of Each Motive with Conservation Behavior Different Motives to Conserve Energy .50 Reported Beliefs Regarding the Influence of Each Motive .40 3.5 .30 3.4 .20 3.3 .10 3.2 .00 3.1 Environmental Protection Benefit to Society Saving Money Descriptive Norm 3.0 2.9 Environmental Protection Benefit to Society Saving Money Descriptive Norm Schultz, W.B. , Cialdini, R.B.,et al (2007) “The constructive, destructive and reconstructive power of social norms” Psychological Science, 18:429-34.

6. Hotel Towel Reuse Study

7. Hotel Towel Study Environmental Appeal Many Others

8. % Towel Reuse Rates 50 45 46.0% 40 35 35.1% 30 25 20 Environmental Appeal Many Others

9. Hotel Towel Study Environmental Appeal Many Others Many Similar Others

10. % Towel Reuse Rates 53.1% 50 45 46.0% 40 35 35.1% 30 25 20 Environmental Appeal Many Others Many Similar Others

11. OK, so it works for towels! But what about Taxes?

12. % Tax Return Rates 82.9% 80 79.0% 75 72.5% 70 67.5% 65 60 55 50 Control Group Social Norm National Social Norm in your town Social Norm in your postcode

13. Principles of Social Influence • Reciprocity • Authority • Social Proof • Scarcity • Consistency • Liking “Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion”, N.J. Goldstein, S.J. Martin, R. B. Cialdini Published by Profile Books (2007)

14. Healthcare Did Not Attend Studies 10 5 -3.4% -18.0% 0 -5 Verbal Commitment -10 Active Commitment -20 -30 Martin, S.J., Bassi, S., Dunbar-Rees, R., (2011) Commitments, Norms & Custard Creams - A social influence approach to reducing Did Not Attends (DNAs) Journal Royal Society of Medicine (in press)

15. Principles of Social Influence • Reciprocity • Authority • Social Proof • Scarcity • Consistency • Liking “Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion”, N.J. Goldstein, S.J. Martin, R. B. Cialdini Published by Profile Books (2007)

16. The Big Mistake To encourage corrective action against a problem that is large or growing, leaders and policy makers often decry that problem as regrettably frequent. Expenses Fraud Tax Avoidance Littering Binge Drinking STD Infections Teenage Pregnancy “Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion”, N.J. Goldstein, S.J. Martin, R. B. Cialdini Published by Profile Books (2007)

18. Healthcare Did Not Attend Studies 10 5 -3.4% -18.0% --31.4% 0 -5 Verbal Commitment -10 Active Commitment -20 -30 Commitment + Normative Appeal Martin, S.J., Bassi, S., Dunbar-Rees, R., (2011) Commitments, Norms & Custard Creams - A social influence approach to reducing Did Not Attends (DNAs) Journal Royal Society of Medicine (in press)

19. Leaders and policy-makers may focus too often on economic, legal or policy • factors when seeking to motivate people towards desirable goals • They would be well advised to also consider what is known about social • psychological motivators such as social norms, social obligations, source • credibility and loss aversion as well as multiple other motivators • (MINDSPACE) • There is an increasing need to incorporate what is known from social • sciences into behaviour change programmes – methodologies and • programmes exist to assist in making that happen