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Driving Behaviour Change for Sustainability: Overview of Desk Research for Defra - CREE Seminar -

Driving Behaviour Change for Sustainability: Overview of Desk Research for Defra - CREE Seminar - Andrew Darnton 18 th October 2004. Background to the Desk Research. Commissioned by Defra (Communications Directorate), via COI Objectives: through existing research sources…

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Driving Behaviour Change for Sustainability: Overview of Desk Research for Defra - CREE Seminar -

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  1. Driving Behaviour Change for Sustainability: Overview of Desk Research for Defra - CREE Seminar - Andrew Darnton 18th October 2004

  2. Background to the Desk Research • Commissioned by Defra (Communications Directorate), via COI • Objectives: through existing research sources… - Investigate public understanding of ‘Sustainable Development’ - Identify barriers and drivers to behaviour change for sustainability • Methodology - Datagathering via experts and SDRN  100 organisations • Source summaries & commentaries  3 reports, on 105 sources “What impact could communications on ‘SD’ have on public behaviour?”

  3. Source Country Year of fieldwork No. of respondents % aware of ‘SD’ DETR ‘Survey of Public Attitudes to the Environment’ England and Wales 1996/7 1,782 34% Defra ‘Survey of Public Attitudes to Quality of Life and to the Environment’ England 2001 3,736 34% Welsh Consumer Council ‘Consumption in Wales’ Wales 2002 1,002 26% Scottish Executive ‘Public Attitudes to the Environment in Scotland’ Scotland 2002 1,989 27% Bundesministerium fur Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit ‘Umweltbewusstsein in Deutschland 2002’ Germany 2002 2,361 28% Defra Adult Omnibus tracking study England 2003 2,250 28% The Public and ‘Sustainable Development’ • Awareness of ‘SD’ low (among c.30%) • Understanding of ‘SD’ lower (among c.8%?) • Limitations of questions – but what is the right answer?

  4. Confronting the Public with ‘SD’ • In focus groups, ‘SD’ confounds people… “not catchy” “gobbledegook” “so vague” • …and some reject it: “They keep you in the dark then come up with terms like ‘Sustainability” • Most researchers don’t mention it – or start from the other end • But public’s concerns are environmental, social and economic • True of all SEGs • NB lowest SEGs most affected by low quality ‘surroundings’

  5. Environmental knowledge Environmental attitude Pro-environmental behaviour Driving Behaviour Change: Linear Models “What impact could communications on ‘SD’ have on public behaviour?” What impact can any communications have on public behaviour? • Early models of pro-environmental behaviours (US, 1950s)

  6. Mind the Gap: Non-linear Models • ‘Information Deficit’ model disproved in the 70s • cf. Mismatch between public’s words and deeds • The Value-Action Gap (Blake, 1999)

  7. The Impact of Information on ‘SD’ Behaviours • Influences / antecedents of human behaviour diverse, and complex • qv. TJ’s models, but also Stewart Barr’s ‘path diagrams’ • Contrast AYDYB? use of info vs. GAP’s (Action at Home / Eco Teams) • Effective info as discursive (to measure and debate) and practical

  8. Reported Barriers to SD Behaviour Change • ie. Reasons people give for not doing a behaviour • Unwillingness (inc. ‘can’t do more’) • Lack of Agency (inc. ‘Govt to take the lead’) • Lack of Opportunity (inc. amenities, space) • Cost (actual and perceived) • Convenience and other constructs • Habits (inc. low-consciousness behaviours) • Social Norms (inc. ‘marginal’ green-ness) • Relative Sustainability (messy world)

  9. Reported Drivers of SD Behaviour Change • ie. Reasons people give for doing a behaviour, or wanting to… • Infrastructure • Cost Saving • Personal Gains • Social Norms • Groups and Leaders • Financial Instruments • Information (not indicators)

  10. individuals groups Sustainable Consumption Sustainable Communities ‘Needs’ vs. impacts ‘Quality of Life’ Which Public Behaviours Are To Be Changed? • Role of public in SD “uncertain and unplanned” – needs interpreting • Attempt to see SD ‘in the round’ and full extent of public’s role • Group dynamic effective in public behaviour change campaigns • Groups at forefront of delivering local sustainability (LA21 & beyond)  ‘An Exploratory Framework of a Sustainable Lifestyle’ provided

  11. Framework for a Sustainable Lifestyle (part 1)

  12. Framework for a Sustainable Lifestyle (part 2)

  13. Behaviours in Focus - Energy Saving • Energy a low salience issue - 10% think about energy use ‘a great deal’, 46% ‘a fair bit’ - Varies by household income (‘fuel-poor’ – 21% - think about it most) • Principal driver of energy saving is saving money - 81% of energy savers do so to save money - Fuel is cheap; energy saving would “only save a few quid anyway” • Lack of info is a barrier to uptake - 79% ‘know how to’ cut energy bills; 21% aware of energy-saving schemes - 74% have received no info from providers on ‘green tariffs’ • Calls to cut energy use dismissed - 60% of non-savers (60%) ‘can’t use any less energy at home’

  14. Behaviours in Focus - Recycling • High awareness of waste issues, but low knowledge - 94% agree waste disposal is ‘environmental problem’ but only 7% cite waste among personal concerns - c.80% don’t know how much waste collection costs, c.55% don’t know where it goes • Recycling is a near normative behaviour - c. 20%-30% are non-recyclers (10% are rejectors) - Majority of recyclers only recycle paper (65%) and glass (60%) • Infrastructure (& social norms) key to recycling behaviour - 28% of non-recyclers say ‘no kerbside collection’ (top reason) - 72% with kerbside collection are high- or medium-recyclers

  15. Behaviours in Focus - Volunteering • Target set by Home Office for ‘active community participation’ - increase of 5% by 2006 (47% in 2001) • Nearly half of public takes part in groups - 40% were ‘formal volunteers’ in 2001, including EMs • Drivers are ‘personal, local and low-tech’ - 44% via someone already involved; 13% via faith groups (36% for black) • Partnership with local groups delivers ‘workable solutions’ for SD - est. 5 groups per 1,000 in 1997 (VCS sector = 300,000 orgs) - community groups account for 80% of VCS

  16. Recommendations for SD Policymakers • If you want to change a behaviour, target that behaviour (and persist) • Combine measures to address complex factors (‘contextual first’) • Alter the variables (eg. info / incentives) until change results • Support individual behaviour change by supporting groups • Recognise behaviour change without attitude change (‘unintentional sustainability’)

  17. Recommendations for SD Communications • Without other policy tools, a comms campaign on ‘SD’ or ‘sustainability’ will not deliver significant behaviour change • Once behaviour change is underway, comms can show how behaviours interrelate, & impact on delivering sustainability • In this context, a comms campaign is not adverts, but information and informal education materials

  18. http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/taking-it-on/background.htmhttp://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/taking-it-on/background.htm

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