“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein public domain

Fostering Behavior Change for Sustainability Developed for The Earth Ethics Institute at Miami-Dade College by Scott Perret scott@notutopia.com bikes: Diane Groves hands: Richard Styles bin: sxc.hu Tools to Influence Action and Identity © Scott Perret 2011

Sustainability: “Enough for all, forever.” © Scott Perret 2011

With what programs are you involved? © Scott Perret 2011

What results are you going for? B E / O © Scott Perret 2011

What are your strategies? I S © Scott Perret 2011

Why behavior change? © Scott Perret 2011

One good reason: climate change • We have a 3 to 15 year window to slow climate change. 1 • 80% of the CO2 released from human activity in the US is the result of people’s behaviors. 2 • 15% of US CO2 emissions (1 bil metric tons) could be cut through simple behavior changes like not idling our cars.3 • We can move behavior more quickly & cheaply than the other wedges. It’s the “low-hanging fruit.” 1 & 2: (McKenzie-Mohr, 11/14/10) 3: Time, Bryan Walsh, 3/17/10 © Scott Perret 2011

Sustainability = changing behaviorand identity. The creation of sustainable societies will require shifts in what we do and how we do it (behavior)… sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

…as well as how we think of ourselves (identity). © Scott Perret 2011

Information Campaigns: the standard strategy Earth Ethics Institute © Scott Perret 2011

Everyone does info campaigns because… • sxc.hu ©Scott Perret 2011

…they’re easier. • It’s what everyone does. There is tremendous power in the status quo. • “Wouldn’t it be cool if we...?” • We get to base programs on our assumptions, which means less homework & less friction. • Info campaigns are often easier & faster to roll out. • They seem cheaper (until you measure cost per result). © Scott Perret 2011

We also do info campaigns because we think they should work. • Economic Self Interest says humans are reasonable and will act in their own self-interests. • The Attitude-Behavior Approach says educating people will foster attitudes that are supportive of a desired behavior, and these attitudes will in turn foster the behavior itself. public domain © Scott Perret 2011

But they don’t work. • Example: Disaster Response Economic Self-Interest doesn’t reliably predict or determine behavior. sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Attitudes don’t reliably predict or determine behavior, either. • Example: Litter Study sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

That means education alonedoesn’t work. Giving information may change attitudes, but it rarely changes behavior. public domain © Scott Perret 2011

Result of Information Campaigns: wasted time, energy and resources Scott Perret © Scott Perret 2011

Note: Attitudes are a prerequisite for behavior change, but they rarely determine it. © Scott Perret 2011

But, wait!What about traditional advertising? ooh la la! Nissan Leaf © Scott Perret 2011

What are they asking us to do? vs   Chevrolet Volt Nissan Leaf sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Summary: why info campaigns don’t work Traditional information and advertising campaigns don’t produce behavior change because they underestimate the complexity of human behavior. Many factors influence each of our behavior choices. Our attitudes, knowledge and economic self-interest are only a few, and often among the weakest. © Scott Perret 2011

There are several keys to changing behavior Careful Study and Planning + A “Key Ring” of Influence Tools sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Two birds with one stone:Changing behavior can changeidentity. Self-Perception Theory Argues people’s self-perceptions are partly created by looking at their actions and “working backwards” to see what those actions say about them. If we can provide opportunities for people to engage in sustainable behaviors conveniently, the very act of engaging in those behaviors can shape their attitudes. © Scott Perret 2011

Approaches to Behavior Change • Community-Based Social Marketing • Influence Tools from the social sciences • The Social Cure: peer pressure for positive outcomes(clubs, movements, community) © Scott Perret 2011

Why are these approaches more effective? They take into account the complexity and social nature of human behavior. Agnes Eperjesy © Scott Perret 2011

Psychology meets Social Marketing • We are most likely to respond to direct communications from people we know, or at least people we perceive to be like ourselves, from our own community. • It’s about peer groups and social norms. • The #1 predictor of changed behavior is having a friend who already “did that.” Scott Perret © Scott Perret 2011

Community-Based Social Marketing developed by Doug McKenzie-Mohr Environmental Psychologist © Scott Perret 2011

The 5 Steps of Community-Based Social Marketing 1. Select behavior(s) to target 2. Identify barriers and benefits 3. Develop your strategy 4. Pilot your strategy 5. Implement broadly & evaluate results © Scott Perret 2011

Never Assume; Do The Homework We must resist the temptation to believe we already know the answers. We mustn’t blow our precious resources just because it seemed like a cool idea, or we assumed we knew what would work. “Don’t let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex than our subsequent explanations of them.” --Dostoevsky sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Pre-Step 1: Select your issue(s) • Water • Air • Food • Energy • Waste Streams • Climate Change • Use of Plastics • Community Building • Etc… sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Select the right behavior to target • Which sector can give us the impactful results we want? • What are the biggest chunks within that sector? • What behaviors would have the greatest impact on those chunks? • Analyze these to identify the best ones to target • What is the probability we can get these behaviors adopted? sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Who are you trying to reach? Know your target market • Who needs to engage in the behavior you want to encourage in order for you to get your desired results and level of impact? • Who is engaging in the behavior you want to discourage? • Different communities/groups often perceive different barriers & benefits for the same behavior. sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Barriers & Benefits: a golden key • Identify barriers & benefits for both the behavior you want to encourage, and for the behavior you want to discourage, or replace. • Most barriers hide at the level of the activities that make up a behavior. • Do the homework; don’t guess. sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Develop your strategy How: Select influence tools for your strategy based on your target audience’s perceived barriers and benefits. © Scott Perret 2011

Pilot your strategy • See if it works! Sample group can be small (at least 12-15 people). • If you’re not getting the results you want, ask why, tweak the strategy, then pilot again. sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

Implement, then evaluate results See McKenzie-Mohr for: • What you might measure • When you might measure sxc.hu Scott Perret © Scott Perret 2011

A Key Ring of Influence Tools compiled from the work of Robert Cialdini & Doug McKenzie-Mohr sxc.hu © Scott Perret 2011

A key for every lock Robert Cialdini’s Weapons of Influence Doug McKenzie-Mohr’s CBSM Behavior Change Tools Social Norms Commitment Social Diffusion Prompts Effective Communication Incentives Convenience • Social Proof • Commitment • Consistency • Authority • Reciprocity • Liking • Scarcity & Fear of Loss © Scott Perret 2011

Combining influence tools for powerful results • Personal contact by community member • Authority • Knowing the target audience • Social proof • Prompts • Commitment • Made public & enduring, where possible • Information/education + Reciprocity • Created toolkit for use by others © Scott Perret 2011

The Social Cure Peer Pressure for Positive Outcomes compiled from the work of Tina Rosenberg and David Gershon Sava Marinkovic © Scott Perret 2011

Quotes from Join the Club • “These campaigns…accomplish what countless efforts throughout the centuries have failed to do: persuade people to take action that is crucial to their long-term well-being but appears unpleasant, dangerous or psychologically difficult today.” • “What all these marketing strategies …have in common is that they sell the idea that buying the product will make the customer more respected and embraced by his or her peer group. If you want people to rally to the cause, it has to be about them, not the cause.” What’s in it for them? © Scott Perret 2011

David Gershon’s Eco-Teams “These programs change personal behavior through social pressure. They offer people a new and desirable club to join—a peer group so strong and persuasive that the individual adopts a new identity.” -Tina Rosenberg • Eco-Team leaders identified by community organizers • Team leaders recruit their neighbors for block group • Help conserve resources for the sake of our children • Get to know each other better as neighbors • Make our neighborhood a healthier, safer place to live © Scott Perret 2011

Gershon’s numbers • “These households on average reduced their annual solid waste by 40 percent, water use by 32 percent, energy use by 17 percent, vehicle miles traveled by 8 percent, CO2 emissions by 15 percent, and achieved financial savings of $255.” • Model applied to water conservation : Participating households averaged 10 water stewardship actions each and achieved water usage savings of 44 percent, or 20,000 gallons per year per participant. © Scott Perret 2011

Narrative describing David Gershon’s eco-teams/sustainable lifestyles program, can be found here (4-part blog): http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/blogs/david_gershon/ © Scott Perret 2011

Behavior change is doable & important, though its complexity requires more process than we might be used to. • It wouldn’t seem overwhelming, or like “more work” if we’d been doing it this way all along. © Scott Perret 2011

Bibliography • Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing, by Doug McKenzie-Mohr (www.cbsm.com) • Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert Cialdini • Join The Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World, by Tina Rosenberg Amazon.com Scott Perret © Scott Perret 2011

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”