Kirstin Appelt*, UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society and BC Behavioural Insights Group
Heather Devine*, BC Behavioural Insights Group

Moderator: Jiaying Zhao

The Ironies of Poverty Contexts
Eldar Shafir*, Princeton University

The talk will review some of the ways in which our behavioral understanding of poverty is flawed. Poverty contexts are difficult in ways that people, including policy makers, fail to appreciate.  Rather than getting respect for their challenges, the poor are disrespected; instead of the varieties of assistance that others receive, those in poverty are, intentionally and unintentionally, sabotaged; and despite their persistent difficulties, the poor are perceived as less distressed.  Better behavioral insight may lead to more empathic and successful policies.

Moderator: Kirstin Appelt, UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society and BC Behavioural Insights Group

1. From Waste to Taste: How 'Ugly' Labels Can Increase Purchase of Unappealing Produce
   Sid Mookerjee*, University of British Columbia; Yann Cornil, University of British Columbia; & Joey Hoegg, University of British Columbia

   Across a series of lab and field studies, we show that emphasizing the aesthetic flaw of unattractive produce through 'Ugly' labeling (e.g. 'Ugly Cucumbers') can increase purchase of such produce. This is because 'Ugly' labeling corrects for consumers' negative biased expectations regarding the tastiness of unattractive produce, thus increasing purchase likelihood. We also show that 'Ugly' labeling is efficacious when paired with moderate price discounts and leads to higher purchase likelihood than alternative labels such as 'Imperfect'.

2. Applying BI to Increase Landowner Participation in the BC Land Matching Program
   Christine Kormos*, BC Behavioural Insights Group; Mikayla Ford, BC Behavioural Insights Group; Lindsay Bisschop, BC Ministry of Agriculture; Adrian Semmelink, BC Ministry of Agriculture; & Lindsay Miles-Pickup, BC Ministry of Agriculture

   The Ministry of Agriculture is working to build sustainable food production in BC and support the transition of farms to the next generation. To address the barrier posed by high average farmland costs, the BC Land Matching Program (BCLMP) matches landowners with new entrants looking for land to lease. A randomized controlled trial evaluated whether a message framing mail-out campaign, incorporating several behavioural insights (e.g., social norms, the messenger effect, and loss aversion), ‘nudged’ landowners with under-utilized land to participate in the BCLMP.

3. Changing Climate Change Behaviors: The Newest, Best Techniques
   Rishad Habib*, University of British Columbia; Katherine White, University of British Columbia; David Hardisty, University of British Columbia; & Jiaying Zhao, University of British Columbia

   We review the latest peer-reviewed research (articles published since 2018) on how to change consumer behaviours to improve climate change impacts, focusing especially on studies that include experimental interventions and measure real behaviors. We organize these studies using the SHIFT framework: Social influence, Habit, Individual self, Feelings and cognition, and Tangibility.

Poster Cluster: BI Training & Practice

1. Advanced Professional Certificate in Behavioural Insights
   Kirstin Appelt*, University of British Columbia

   Become a Behavioural Insights (BI) practitioner with our part-time certificate program for working professionals: (1) learn advanced BI theory and methods, (2) gain hands-on experience leading a real BI project, (3) build your BI network by joining the regional community of practice, and (4) earn a certificate from a top-ranked university.

2. BI Boot Camps & Policy Schools
   Kirstin Appelt*, University of British Columbia; & Heather Devine*, BC Behavioural Insights Group

   Increase your familiarity with Behavioural Insights (BI) with these intensive 2- to 5-day training sessions that provide: (1) an introduction to basic BI theory and methods, (2) hands-on practice with a real BI challenge, and (3) an introduction to the regional BI community of practice. Policy School is hosted by BC BIG for members of the BC Public Service. Boot Camp is hosted by UBC and is open to all.

3. Ethics Impact Assessment: An Online Tool for BI Practitioners
   Vince Hopkins*, BC Behavioural Insights Group; & Heather Devine, BC Behavioural Insights Group

   We offer an early look at a new Ethics Impact Assessment. This is a memory/decision aid for BI practitioners, inspired by prominent research ethics frameworks. It’s quick, easy and online.

4. Principles for the Practice of Behavioural Insights
   Heather Devine*, BC Behavioural Insights Group

   Working with leading BI experts across Canada, BC BIG is co-creating a set of guiding principles aimed at defining what it means to be a great BI practitioner. In this poster, we will explain why we think shared principles are important and how we plan to engage the broader BI community in building them.

Poster Cluster: BI Case Studies

1. Laundry, Dishes, & Thermostats, Oh My! Unpacking the Motivation & Barriers Behind Three Everyday Energy Behaviours with BC Hydro
   Nicole Aleong*, Lux Insights; & Arien Korteland*, BC Hydro

   Doing the laundry, washing our dishes, and adjusting the temperature of our households are such integral parts of our everyday life it is easy for them to go unnoticed. In this unique case study presented by BC Hydro and Lux Insights, learn about the attitudes, emotions, motivators and barriers behind these three tasks that reveal behavioural insights on how British Columbians think about energy usage and conservation in their homes.

2. Using FinTech to Budget: Consumer Spending in the Age of Information Access
   Liang Huang*, University of Arizona; & Anastasiya Pocheptsova Ghosh, University of Arizona

   FinTech devices such as budget tracking applications that claim to help consumers save money can ironically increase consumer spending at the end of the budget period when there is money left in the budget. This happens because FinTech apps increase consumers’ certainty in money left in the budget. Interventions such as providing consumers with less precise budget information and reminding them that they can rollover available money in the budget to the next budget period can attenuate the increase in spending. 

3. Dumping Diapers: Nudging Toward Natural Infant Hygiene
   Esther Bérubé*, Greenest City Babies

   Natural infant hygiene (also known as "elimination communication") is a traditional, international practice for encouraging babies to excrete their waste in a receptacle instead of a diaper. Short online workshops about this practice were offered to pregnant women and new mothers in precarious financial situations through the Montreal Diet Dispensary. The impact of behavioural motivators in the EAST model was assessed to determine which motivators were most influential in encouraging a shift toward wider use of natural infant hygiene amongst the participants. 

Moderator: Rueben Bronee, BC Public Service Agency

1. The Role of Behavioural Science & Digital Technology in BC’s Pandemic Response
   Dr. Réka Gustafson*, BC Deputy Provincial Health Officer; &
   Dr. Douglas Kingsford*, BC Provincial Chief Medical Information Officer

   Jurisdictions around the world have developed apps, messages, and other behaviour change tools to encourage compliance with COVID-19 measures. We will share some of the behaviour-based challenges BC has faced during the pandemic and then discuss how behavioural science and digital technology are being explored and leveraged in our public health response.

2. Using BI to Help Unemployed British Columbians during COVID-19
   Vince Hopkins*, BC Behavioural Insights Group; Jeff Dorion, BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction; Isabelle Andresen, BC Behavioural Insights Group; Traviss Ram, BC Behavioural Insights Group; & Heather Devine, BC Behavioural Insights Group

   We present results from a trial to test the effectiveness of sending emails to individuals unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, inviting them to connect with local employment counselling. We’ll also talk about our process—how our team built a low-cost, scalable and fast A/B testing platform during the crisis.

3. Using BI to Support Workers & Employers with Safe Business Resumption during COVID-19
   Kerri Buschel*, WorkSafeBC; Tracy Klass, WorkSafeBC; & Janice Twiss, WorkSafeBC

   WorkSafeBC was asked to create protocols and resources to support employers as they looked to safely resume business activity during the pandemic.  We began with behavioural research to better understand the current perceptions and needs of both workers and employers in the province.  We highlight those findings and how they shaped the interventions we built to support the COVID-19 prevention work in workplaces throughout BC.

4. How BIT Has Supported Public Health Authorities in Addressing COVID-19
   Sasha Tregebov*, BIT Canada

   I will briefly summarize the work that BIT has done in the US, UK, and Canada to help promote behaviours that can mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on our communities, including social distancing, handwashing, cooperation with contact tracing and more. Based on this experience, I will outline some key considerations for conducting applied behavioural science research and providing BI advice to government in a time of crisis and high ambiguity. 

Moderator: Kirstin Appelt, UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society and BC Behavioural Insights Group

1. Testing the Effectiveness of Email Reminders on Permanent Resident Card Renewals
   Monica Soliman*, Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada; Justine Baron*, Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada; Krista Beaulieu, Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada; & Philippe Loutfi, Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada

   In Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, we ran a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of sending email reminders to clients whose Permanent Resident Cards are about to expire. In particular, we tested three variations of an email reminder, as well as timing of the reminder, and examined their impact on Permanent Resident Card renewals.

2. Achieving Safety: Optimizing Automated Notifications to Influence Code Violation (Declaration) Behaviour
   Kaylyn Kretschmer*, Technical Safety BC; Thor Berggren, Technical Safety BC; Connor MacRae, Technical Safety BC; Robyn Rudolph, Technical Safety BC; & Zack Zhu, Technical Safety BC

   Code violations are a type of non-compliance identified by safety officers conducting field assessments on regulated technical systems or equipment, such as electrical wiring, gas fireplaces, or elevators/escalators. Code violations must be corrected and reported to Technical Safety BC within a set period of time. Through our automated notification system, Technical Safety BC is currently testing how changes to early reminder notices influence whether permit holders declare before the deadline.

3. Project RISE: Realizing Identity Safe Environments for Women in STEM
   Toni Schmader*, University of British Columbia; Hilary Bergsieker, University of Waterloo; Tara Dennehy, University of British Columbia; & Audrey Aday, University of British Columbia

   There has been much debate over whether implicit bias training can be effective. I’ll share preliminary findings from a new randomized control trial testing the efficacy of implicit bias training (compared to a leadership training) for raising people’s awareness of bias and motivation to be an ally for gender inclusion in their STEM organization.

Kerri Buschel*, WorkSafeBC
Kirstin Appelt*, UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society and BC Behavioural Insights Group