This year will go down as one of the most challenging many of us have faced. And whether it be through our own personal experiences or the broader response to complex policy issues, human behaviour has been in the spotlight. So, it is no surprise BETA has had an incredibly busy past 12 months. With 2022 now on the horizon, it’s time to reflect on the year that was.
We helped to measure and improve important health outcomes
We continued to focus on the behavioural aspects of COVID-19. We conducted survey research into vaccine hesitancy and provided rapid advice on aspects of the vaccine rollout.
To help people safely and effectively quarantine, we created guides for the public. Our 2020 “Getting ready for quarantine” guide, and a 2021 version specifically for seasonal workers, have been downloaded more than 50,000 times.
Health restrictions during the pandemic have highlighted the importance of mental health. In 2021, we launched the largest survey in Australia examining mental health stigma and discrimination. The results will form the baseline for the National Stigma & Discrimination Reduction Strategy.
Looking beyond COVID-19, we explored how to protect construction workers from deadly silicosis lung disease. We looked at how warning labels could motivate workers who handle engineered stone to protect themselves against silicosis.
We also tested messages to encourage young people to register as organ donors. After testing 19 messages, we found the most effective message was “Registering is easy and only takes 1 minute”.
We used innovative methods to investigate how people make career decisions across a range of professions
One of Australia’s biggest economic challenges is the workforce. We investigated how workers make decisions in the mid-career stage and are starting to examine factors impacting women’s workforce participation.
We’ve also identified trends and challenges within specific workforces. In the aged care workforce, we interviewed current aged care students to understand what attracts workers to this sector. We also know motivations can differ within a sector, so we looked at how gender and job type affect experiences in the cyber security workforce. In the teaching workforce, a current focus is on attracting more of the high-quality candidates who are most likely to succeed in the classroom. We used a discrete choice experiment to determine what pay, study, and work incentives would best encourage high-achieving school-leavers and mid-career changers to pursue teaching.
We tackled ageing and aged care from different angles
Ensuring Australians can access appropriate aged care continues to be a priority. We identified factors influencing the use of in-home aged care, through extensive data analysis, interviews, and survey work with more than 4,000 senior Australians and their carers.
The Life Checks program helps people prepare for ageing. We conducted a literature review, focus groups and a survey to gain insights into how people respond to Life Checks. We found that more targeted advice, laying out a clearer road map and linking Life Checks with other services would make the program more effective at prompting planning behaviours.
We helped improve Australians’ consumer choices and financial decision-making
Australians make financial decisions every day, but some can be particularly taxing or difficult. With superannuation, people often default to suboptimal funds. Our work on YourSuper suggested ways to improve people’s superannuation fund choices.
Choosing an energy provider can also be difficult when faced with countless plans and providers. We combined a randomised controlled trial with surveys and qualitative research to provide advice on how to simplify bills and encourage consumers to switch to better plans.
Using a discrete choice experiment, we also tested how consumers shop for smart devices (that is, devices that connect to the internet, like a smart fridge). Many smart devices have cyber security vulnerabilities, and we found that a cyber security labelling scheme is likely to help consumers make smarter choices.
We also helped improve the Personal Property Securities Register to better protect businesses with financial interests in assets. We found a more intuitive layout and adding pop-ups that warned against common errors significantly increased the accuracy of registrations.
And, for those in financial difficulty, we created new ways to explain the consequences of bankruptcy. This project demonstrated that a video and pop-quiz were effective educational tools, significantly improving people’s understanding of the consequences of bankruptcy.
We equipped others to apply behavioural insights to their own work
For people looking to put behavioural insights into action in their own work, we launched a new 4D Framework online course. This course teaches BETA’s four project stages of Discover, Diagnose, Design and Deliver, and provides activities and resources for managing a behavioural insights project from start to finish.
We also continued capability building across the APS. The Behavioural Insights Practitioners’ Network allows BI teams around the APS to learn from each other. Meanwhile, 94 Behavioural Insights Champions from across the APS completed the first year of their program. We again hosted the popular seminar series BI Connect, featuring academics and BI practitioners from around the world.
Thank you to our project partners
Our work in 2021 would not have been possible without the hard work and input from our partner agencies across the APS. This year we would especially like to thank our colleagues from the Australian Energy Regulator, Australian Financial Security Authority, Australian Security and Investment Commission, Australian Taxation Office, Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Department of Health, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, Department of Social Services, Fair Work Ombudsman, National Careers Institute, National Mental Health Commission, Organ and Tissue Authority, PM&C Office for Women, The Treasury and the Women in Economics Network.
We’re also grateful for the expert insights from our Academic Advisory Panel and for the input from our Behavioural Insights Practitioners’ Network, the Behavioural Insights Champions’ Network, and our colleagues in PM&C.
Some of the work we described in this blog isn’t published – yet. To stay up to date on our work, sign up to our quarterly newsletter and follow us on Twitter.