[ PDF || VIDEO ]

Kirstin Appelt
Research Director, UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society

Stephanie Papik
Director for the BC Public Service, Moose Hide Campaign Society

Antiracist Applied Behavioral Science:
Using Our Tools to Confront Structural Racism 

[ PDF || Resources || VIDEO ] 

Crystal Hall
University of Washington

Moderator: Jiaying Zhao
UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society

Behavioral science has increasingly been celebrated as a way to create a better world, with insights being applied to the design of everything from health policies and urban transportation systems to college financial aid forms. What if, hidden in plain sight, a fundamental flaw in its application is perpetuating unjust systems rather than correcting them? In this address, I will examine the history of the field through a racial equity lens. Then, I will unpack the challenge of implementing applied behavioral science with an antiracist foundation. Finally, I offer some suggestions for practicing antiracism in our work by reforming our research methods, diversifying the field, and listening to and partnering with diverse teams.

Crystal Hall is Associate Professor, Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, and Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington. Her research pursues the integration of psychology into the design and implementation of social policy, with a particular focus on race, equity, and decision making in the context of poverty. Hall has a record of serving government agencies at the local, state, and federal level, including having served as a Fellow on the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team and the Federal Office of Evaluation Sciences at the General Services Administration. Hall also provides guidance to community organizations and nonprofits seeking to implement tools from psychology and behavioral economics into the design and delivery of their programs and services.

1. Messaging Trial to Understand Mask Wearing Intentions Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
   [ PDF || VIDEO ]
   Sarah Wall* (Privy Council Office, Public Health Agency of Canada), Meera Paleja (Public Health Agency of Canada), Tyler Good (Privy Council Office, Public Health Agency of Canada), & Corey Green (Public Health Agency of Canada)
   

   This online randomized controlled trial (N=2440) led by the Public Health Agency of Canada tested the effect of six messages on intentions to wear masks for other respiratory illnesses, such as colds and the flu, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. This study found that the presence of a mask mandate in hypothetical scenarios had the largest impact on self-reported mask wearing intentions. However, when a mandate was present, messages that used risk-based framing significantly increased mask wearing compared to other messages.
   

2. Applying Behavioural Insights to Increase Immunization Uptake in the Fraser Health Region
   [ PDF || VIDEO ]
   Michelle Zanette* (Simon Fraser University), Christina Fung (Fraser Health), Meghan Martin (Fraser Health), & Kirstin Appelt (University of British Columbia)
   
   Fraser Health designed and tested variations to their reminder postcards to determine whether the use of certain behavioural insights would increase uptake of childhood immunizations. Results indicate both positive and negative impacts, depending on the behavioural insight used and the outcome examined.
   

3. Testing Interventions to Reduce Math Anxiety in Practice Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (PCFAT) Examinees [ PDF || VIDEO ]
   Ben Sylvester* (Department of National Defence), Steve Gooch (Department of National Defence), & Justin Feeney (Rhode Island College)
   
   We conducted an RCT to examine whether nudge interventions mitigate gender differences in math anxiety, and subsequently improve problem solving scores on the Practice Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (PCFAT). Despite finding the interventions had a negligible effect, math anxiety was related to problem solving scores, and the PCFAT appears to be advantageous for prospective Canadian Armed Forces applicants.

Moderator: Carl Jensen (BC Behavioural Insights Group)

We will have five simultaneous tracks of micro-presentations. Within most tracks, presenters will have 5 minutes to present and 5 minutes for Q&A directly with the audience. Each track will be in a separate Zoom room.

Track 1) Applying BI to Health & Safety Challenges [ VIDEO ]

1. Expediting Form Submission to Improve Injured Worker Experience at WorkSafeBC [ PDF ]
   Summer Roddick* (WorkSafeBC), Laura Ruiz* (WorkSafeBC), & David Hardisty (University of British Columbia)
   
   Delayed form submission can negatively impact the livelihood and wellbeing of WorkSafeBC's injured workers, preventing them from having positive claim experiences. Using novel and salient communication techniques in the form of BI-based reminders, the research team at WorkSafeBC has successfully changed injured worker behaviour by encouraging timelier form submission.

2. Exploratory Behavioural Research to Support Chairlift Safety in BC [ PDF ]
   Rachel Yang* (Technical Safety BC) & Morné Thompson (Technical Safety BC)
   
   This project uses a behavioural insights approach to conduct exploratory research on chairlift safety caused by passenger behaviour in British Columbia, with the overall objective of informing future safety interventions.
   
   Moderator: Stina Grant (BC Behavioural Insights Group)

Track 2) Applying BI to Sustainability Challenges [ VIDEO ]

1. Accelerating Heat Pump Adoption in Canada: A Market Segmentation Approach [ PDF ]
   Kevin Andrew* (University of Victoria), Ekaterina Rhodes (University of Victoria), Severin Odland (University of Victoria), & Aaron Pardy (Simon Fraser University)
   
   Heat pumps are a critical technology for reducing residential building emissions, yet their adoption rate in Canada remains relatively low. Our paper uses the Canadian Home Heating Survey (n=3,804) to identify, describe, and compare four market segments of Canadian homeowners (i.e., pioneers, potential early mainstream buyers, potential mainstream buyers, and potential late mainstream buyers) against behavioural and contextual characteristics, with implications for designing policies to increase heat pump adoption.

2. What Policies Do Homeowners Prefer for Building Decarbonization and Why? An Exploration of Climate Policy Support in Canada [ PDF ]
   Ekaterina Rhodes* (University of Victoria), Severin Odland (University of Victoria), Meghan Corbett (University of Victoria), & Aaron Pardy (Simon Fraser University)
   
   Public support for home decarbonization policy is required to ensure long-lasting emissions reductions in the buildings sector. Using survey data from Canadian homeowners (n=3,804), we find that the majority of homeowners support voluntary policies such as subsidies and loan programs for low-carbon heating technology rather than compulsory policies (e.g., carbon taxes, renewable natural gas mandates); and characteristics associated with consistent support for most home decarbonization policies fall into five categories--altruistic values, climate concern, trust in scientists, positive perceptions of heat pumps, and higher education.
   
   Moderator: Anna Burrowes (BC Behavioural Insights Group)

Track 3) Using BI in Government [ VIDEO ]

1. Nudging Government Long-Termism [ PDF ]
   Nicholas Chesterley* (Independent Researcher)
   
   Governments frequently seem focused on short-term priorities, neglecting long-term problems such as pandemics, climate change, population aging, and water overuse. This session draws on behavioural research on individual present bias to explore how we can help governments be more long term, including developing new measures of success, introducing defaults and commitments, and adopting a more experimental and iterative approach.

2. Tax Compliance in the Wild [ PDF ]
   Hamilton Carvalho* (São Paulo State Tax Agency), Alexandro Afonso (São Paulo State Tax Agency), & Flávio Bertaggia (São Paulo State Tax Agency)
   
   After producing mostly null results, a behavioral economics approach to increase tax compliance led the "nudge" team to uncover a puzzling, hidden social phenomenon (the "only for driving" cars) in Brazil.
   
   Moderator: Alexis Gordon (BC Behavioural Insights Group)

Track 4) New BI Research from Academia [ VIDEO ]

1. How to Encourage Learners to Choose Effective Learning Strategies [ PDF ]
   Stav Atir* (University of Wisconsin-Madison) & Jane Risen (University of Chicago)
   
   Learners consistently prefer low effectiveness learning strategies over more effective ones. We developed a low-cost intervention that encourages learners to choose more wisely, thereby improving their comprehension and test scores.

2. How the Presence of Counterfeit Victims in the Victim Marketplace Affects Social Welfare [ PDF ]
   Yi Qian* (University of British Columbia), Mingyuan Ban (Zhongnan University of Economics and Law), Qiang Gong (Wenlan School of Business and Peking University), & Karl Aquino (University of British Columbia)
   
   We propose and test a theory that examines the potential social welfare costs when an increasing number of people in a society emit false distress signals, which we will refer to hereafter as false victim signals (FVS).
   
   Moderator: Takuro Ishikawa (BC Behavioural Insights Group)

Track 5) Learn More About BI [ VIDEO ]
(In this track, there will be a 15-minute webinar plus 5 minutes for Q&A.)

1. UBC's Behavioural Insights Programs [ PDF ]
   Lindsay Miles-Pickup* (BC Behavioural Insights Group & Graduate of UBC’s Advanced Professional Certificate in Behavioural Insights)
   
   This short webinar will provide a brief overview of: (1) Fundamentals of Behavioural Insights, a three-week, live online introductory course that gives you the knowledge to add a BI lens to how you approach problems; (2) Advanced Professional Certificate in Behavioural Insights, a rigorous nine-month, live online program that gives you the knowledge and skills to design and evaluate BI solutions in your workplace; and (3) the BIG Difference BC Scholarship toward certificate tuition for BC working professionals in the public or non-profit sectors.

Behaviourally informed organizations

[ VIDEO ]

Every organization is engaged in elements of behaviour change. Whether organizations are changing behaviours towards critical challenges like climate change, increasing engagement with products or services, improving experiences for customers or employees, or increasing compliance with rules or regulations, changing human behaviour is often critical to organizations reaching their goals.

Join us for a panel discussion about the challenges and successes of integrating behavioural insights into organizations across sectors.

Panelists (click on the photos above to read panelists’ bios):

• Sasha Tregebov
  Director, Behavioural Insights Team Canada

• Tori Peace
  Manager, Behavioural Insights Unit, Province of Ontario

• Kerri Buschel
  Director of Experience, Marketing and Insights, WorkSafeBC

• Moderator: Dilip Soman
  Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics; Director, BEAR University of Toronto

1. Shifting to Digital Communications [ PDF || VIDEO ]
   Amalia Colussi* (AlayaCare Inc.), Dana Hubackova (Government of British Columbia), Shannon McDonaugh (Government of Nova Scotia), & Kirstin Appelt (University of British Columbia)
   
   We trialled an email nudge to encourage working members of a Canadian public sector pension plan to choose digital delivery for their pension information. Email nudges significantly increased the number of plan members who logged into their online pension account and switched to digital delivery.
   

2. Combining Behavioural Science and Indigenous Cultural Values: Partnering with Māori Wardens to Reduce Warrants to Arrest in Aotearoa New Zealand [ PDF || VIDEO ]
   Matthew Davies* (Behavioural Science Aotearoa, Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections)), Kaori Takenaka (Behavioural Science Aotearoa, Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections)), Mahinarangi Hakaraia (Ãtea a Rangi, Ministry of Justice), Caitlin Spence (Behavioural Science Aotearoa, Ara Poutama Aotearoa (Department of Corrections) (former)), & Lance Tebbutt (Evidence Based Policing Centre, New Zealand Police)
   
   This project combined indigenous Māori world view principles with a behaviourally informed intervention to increase voluntary appearances at court. We found that 47% of people with outstanding warrants to arrest who were successfully contacted by Māori Wardens made a voluntary appearance within 2 weeks of being contacted, compared to 18% who were not contacted.
   

3. Twice as Nice? A Longitudinal Field Study of Separate vs. Combined Nudges for Household Laundry Behaviours [ PDF || VIDEO ]
   David Hardisty* (University of British Columbia), Kirstin Appelt (University of British Columbia), Sid Mookerjee (University of British Columbia), Yanwen Wang (University of British Columbia), Jiaying Zhao (University of British Columbia), & Arien Korteland (BC Hydro)
   
   UBC's Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS) partnered with BC Hydro on a project to explore how to encourage people to adopt eco-friendly laundry behaviours, such as re-wearing clothes, combining loads, using cold water, and hang drying. Our main research question: How can we encourage people to adopt eco-friendly laundry behaviours?

Moderator: Fritha Munday (BC Behavioural Insights Group)

[ PDF || VIDEO ]

Stephanie Papik
Director for the BC Public Service, Moose Hide Campaign Society

Kerri Buschel
Director of Experience, Marketing and Insights, WorkSafeBC