BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGE: Get staff to choose cycling and public transport
A constant challenge for many municipalities is to get residents to choose more sustainable means of transport when they go to work, leisure activities, or school. Push the journey right, was a collaborative project between Eskilstuna, Uppsala, Nyköping, Västerås, and Örebro municipalities where all municipalities wanted to test nudging as a method for creating positive behavioral changes in mobility. In Örebro, the nudge was directed to the staff at municipal administrations. The aim was to help them choose the bike instead of the car.
At Nudgd (called A Win Win World at the time), we were primarily responsible for study design, coordination of measurement, and analysis in the project.
SMART NUDGE: Ask for a commitment and frame information
In Örebro, the nudging was tested with target group-adapted information about cycling as a means of transport. It is not only the amount of information or the availability that matters but also, how the information is presented. Therefore, we produced two sets of postcards with different messages. One set contained a health message, and the other had an environmental message. The postcards were distributed in the employees' mailboxes. There were an equal amount of postcards, and the grouping was randomized. A total of 750 postcards were distributed. The employees were also asked to commit to cycle more to and from work by signing a non-binding agreement.
RESULTS: The number of bicycles outside the building increased by 13%
The number of bicycles and cars was counted every weekday morning at the buildings, with 30 observations before the campaign and 30 observations during the campaign. Background data were also collected from stationary bicycle meters around Örebro to avoid calendar effects. Pre- and post-surveys were conducted (the pre-survey on the same postcard as the nudge message and the post-survey on a separate postcard) to obtain a basis for calculating CO2 savings and enable comparison between the two messages. The campaign lasted just over a month. The statistical analysis showed that the number of bicycles outside the building increased by 13%, the number of cars decreased by 5.5%, and 21 people stated that they had changed means of transport. The estimated CO2 savings were 450–500 kg. The statistical analysis also showed that the health message was the best regarding increased cycling, compared with the environmental message.
In Örebro, nudging was tested with target group-adapted information about cycling as a means of transport. Two sets of Postcards with different messages, one health message and one environmental message, was produced and distributed to 740 employees.
13 %
The nudge increased the number of bikes with 13 percent.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
Read the full report from the project Push the Journey Right.
Do you have questions about the project, or do you want to find out how your organization can do something similar?
Contact Tim Isaksson, Head of Research at Nudgd.
THANK YOU
We would like to thank Eskilstuna, Nyköping, Uppsala, Västerås och Örebro for your willingness to test, measure, and evaluate nudging and behavioral design. Thanks to Beteendelabbet and Fredrik Holm for good cooperation in the project.
We would also like to thank the European Regional Development Fund, which financed this project and enabled the behavioral impact of sustainable travel.