Behaviour has a reason
If you want people to behave differently, you first need to know why they don't already. We find that out, we measure it, and only then do we choose the measure.
Why does the bike stay at home, for a twelve-kilometre trip?
A resident lives twelve kilometres from work. By e-bike that is about half an hour. Yet every morning the car is outside the door.
A campaign about the benefits of cycling rarely changes that. The resident already knows the benefits. Perhaps there is no safe route, or nowhere to leave the bike. Or the car is simply what happens every morning, without anyone thinking about it.
If you don't know the cause, it is easy to pick the wrong measure. That is why we start by asking why.
Four questions we always ask
Behaviour only changes when the answer to all four is yes. A single no is enough to keep things as they are.
Do they know?
Are people aware of the option? Do they know how long the cycle route is, or where the bus stops?
Can they?
Is there a safe route, somewhere to park the bike, a bus that runs on time? And does it still work with a child to get to school?
Do they want to?
Does it fit how people see themselves? And what do their colleagues, neighbours and friends do?
Is habit in the way?
Someone who drives every day doesn't decide afresh every day. A habit often only breaks at a turning point, such as a house move or a new job.
Behind these four questions sit the models behavioural scientists use, such as the COM-B model, the Behaviour Change Wheel, the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Transtheoretical Model of Change. We use those models as tools.
We measure where it sticks
Which of the four questions gets a no differs by group and by area. A student in the city faces a different barrier from a parent in a village. We don't guess at that; we measure it.
A survey of a residents' panel or of staff shows, group by group, which barrier weighs heaviest. Observation and counts show what people actually do, not just what they say. And with map data, such as in the Data Assistent Mobiliteit (DAM), you can see where a route is missing or a stop is too far away.
That answers two questions: how many people could switch, and what is stopping them now.
Only then do we choose which lever to pull
Each barrier calls for a different lever. A campaign won't help if there is nowhere to park the bike, and new bike parking won't help if nobody knows about it.
Make it easy
Make the behaviour you want the easiest choice. Bike parking by the entrance, a bike that is ready to go.
What others do
Show how many colleagues or neighbours already do it. That often works better than an appeal.
The right moment
Pick the turning point. People who move house or change jobs choose how they travel all over again.
Rewards
Reward quickly and reliably. A small reward straight after the behaviour works better than a large one far off.
Feedback
Show people what their choice gains or costs them, without judging.
Commitment
People who make a voluntary, visible commitment are more likely to stick to it. An agreement with colleagues is enough to help.
Loss
People would rather not lose something than gain something. Show what the second car costs every month.
Rules and money
Sometimes a soft lever isn't enough. Parking policy or a travel allowance changes the calculation for everyone at once.
How we work
Pin down the question
Which behaviour, by whom, where and when? "More people cycling" becomes, for example, "commuters who drive less than fifteen kilometres".
Measure where it sticks
With surveys, observation, counts and map data. What do people know, what can they do, what do they want, and what part does habit play?
Choose levers and test small
Together with you and the people it concerns. Small-scale first, so a wrong assumption costs little.
Measure the effect
Does it work, and does it keep working? A baseline measurement makes the difference visible.
Got a behaviour question on the table?
We'd be happy to think it through with you, including in a workshop with your team.
Go to the contact page