Event Title
Beyond the Brochure: Using Social Science Research and Methods to Motivate Behavior Change
Presentation Abstract
Preventing water pollution and restoring the Salish Sea will require people across the region to adopt many new behaviors such as reducing garden chemicals, disconnecting downspouts, fixing car leaks, pumping out boat sewage and much more. Research underscores that simply providing information on why and how people should change their behavior rarely motivates change. Regionally and internationally, practitioners are using behavior change strategies to motivate people to voluntarily adopt practices benefiting our environment and communities. In its simplest form, behavior change applies social science principles to communicate effectively and motivate behavior. To most effectively motivate action, practitioners select a specific behavior and audience, and use social science research methods to identify barriers and motivators of positive action. This method is called social marketing. This presentation will describe how social science principles and methods are used to create effective, measurable programs, and introduce some of the region’s newest pollution prevention behavior change programs. These include: • Pump-Out, Don’t Dump Out, Department of Ecology. A social marketing program that uses prompts and incentives to motivate Puget Sound boaters to properly pump out their boat sewage. • Adopt-a-Drain, Washington. A program that asks residents to maintain nearby storm drains by keeping them free of debris. This program uses the social psychology principles of norms and commitment to motivate sustained behavior.
Session Title
Behavior Change Through Engagement and Outreach
Conference Track
SSE6: Human-Nature Systems
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2022 : Online)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE-traditionals-354
Start Date
28-4-2022 8:30 AM
End Date
28-4-2022 10:00 AM
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Type
Text
Language
English
Beyond the Brochure: Using Social Science Research and Methods to Motivate Behavior Change
Preventing water pollution and restoring the Salish Sea will require people across the region to adopt many new behaviors such as reducing garden chemicals, disconnecting downspouts, fixing car leaks, pumping out boat sewage and much more. Research underscores that simply providing information on why and how people should change their behavior rarely motivates change. Regionally and internationally, practitioners are using behavior change strategies to motivate people to voluntarily adopt practices benefiting our environment and communities. In its simplest form, behavior change applies social science principles to communicate effectively and motivate behavior. To most effectively motivate action, practitioners select a specific behavior and audience, and use social science research methods to identify barriers and motivators of positive action. This method is called social marketing. This presentation will describe how social science principles and methods are used to create effective, measurable programs, and introduce some of the region’s newest pollution prevention behavior change programs. These include: • Pump-Out, Don’t Dump Out, Department of Ecology. A social marketing program that uses prompts and incentives to motivate Puget Sound boaters to properly pump out their boat sewage. • Adopt-a-Drain, Washington. A program that asks residents to maintain nearby storm drains by keeping them free of debris. This program uses the social psychology principles of norms and commitment to motivate sustained behavior.
