The Behavioural Insights Group Rotterdam (BIG'R), a collaboration between the EUR and the Municipality of Rotterdam, has tested whether nudges can help to increase information security at the municipality. Nudges are small and seemingly irrelevant changes in someone's environment or a situation that influence people's behaviour. An example of a nudge is when a supermarket presents fruit and vegetables at eye level instead of a less visible place. Although the BIG’R nudges did not work, the research still provides valuable insights.
The municipality of Rotterdam requires its employees to wear an identifying lanyard with their employee badge visibly around their necks in specific office areas. This way, people who are not authorised can immediately be recognised because of a lacking lanyard. The municipality noticed that about half of the employees were not wearing their lanyard and called in the help of BIG'R. BIG'R researchers, including behavioural scientist Malte Dewies, designed two nudges and tested their effectiveness.
Sticker for greater awareness
The first nudge that the researchers tested was a sticker with the text ‘You’re holding it already, now just wear it’. This sticker was placed at entrances and printers because employees scan their badges to get entry and print. People often feel the need to complete tasks they once begun. Therefore, this sticker was supposed to motivate them to complete the task implied on the sticker and start wearing the lanyard around their necks.
Mirror as reminder of social norm
The second nudge were mirrors with life-size stickers of the lanyard on them. When employees stood in front of the mirrors, it looked as if they were wearing the lanyard - even though they weren’t. The mirrors with stickers were a playful reminder to put on the lanyard. At the same time, mirrors make people more aware of social norms (to wear the lanyard).
Nudges considered patronising
After six weeks of research, the nudges had not increased the number of employees wearing their lanyard. Some employees even reacted negatively because they experienced the nudges as paternalistic or unnecessary. However, it was precisely these negative reactions that were so valuable to the research.
”Our research shows that employees who were negative about the nudges were also more likely to be negative about the lanyard policy. For them, the nudges were not gentle nudges but were probably seen as stern reminders of a policy they disagreed with. So, this research underlines that nudges do not just manipulate people but that people are still capable of making their own choices," says Malte Dewies. Science has mainly speculated about opposition to nudges, but such reactions have rarely been investigated in practice. The BIG'R study explains why nudges sometimes fail to change behaviour and why people can react negatively to them. Cass Sunstein, one of the founders of nudging, also tweeted that the insights from this study are valuable for behavioural science.
Read the results of this study.
- Researcher