How social
change happens
Susie Rabin
Campaigning Effectiveness
NCVO
How social change happens
Sometimes we need
change…
“here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs
now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of
his head, behind Christopher Robin.
It is as far as he knows the only way of
coming downstairs, but sometimes he
feels there really is another way, if only he
could stop bumping for a moment and
think about it”. *
*AA Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
How social change happens
But we need to step back and look
at how and why it happens
what drives social change?
what makes a successful campaign?
The role of change in successful campaigns
How social change happens
“There is nothing more difficult to plan, more
doubtful of success, nor more dangerous
to manage than the creation of a new
order of things………”
Niccolo Machiavelli
How social change happens
exercise
what drives or inhibits change?
3 groups –
• What drives change
• Fairtrade bananas
• Smoking ban
How social change happens
what drives social change?
group 1
change will always happen - but why and
how? How can we lead change?
exercise
list the factors that you believe drive
change
How social change happens
what drives social change?
group 2
The sale of Fairtrade bananas increased by
130 % in 2007.
What drivers influenced that change? and
what might have impeded it?
How social change happens
what drives social change?
group 3
There has been a 17% fall in the number of
people in Scotland being taken to hospital
with heart attacks since the smoking ban
was introduced
What drivers influenced that change and
what might have impeded it?
How social change happens
Growth of the UK Fairtrade banana
market
Growth of the UK Fairtrade banana market 2000 - 2007 (by value)
Conventional
Fairtrade
600
500
Price (£m)
400
300
200
100
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Year
Source: Adjusted from DEFRA
2008 figures
Fairtrade Foundation
2008
How social change happens
2007
• The uplifts have been driven by the
commitment of Sainsbury and Waitrose to
Fairtrade bananas
• 1 in 4 bananas sold are now Fairtrade
• 2012 target to double this
• Customer is king – you can help achieve
this!
How social change happens
THE PROBLEM
THE SOLUTION
Course of the
campaign
standard model of change
within a campaign
Change awareness
Campaign messages are disseminated and public awareness is raised
Change attitudes
Because of what they have heard, people think about the issue differently
Change behaviour
Some people take action or show support for the campaign that brings it greater
attention
Change Policy
In response to pressure, the institution adopts new policy
Change practice
The policy is implemented
Change the lives of
beneficiary
Positive impact results, as predicted in the analysis of problems and solutions.
How social change happens
drivers of social change
implementing policy change in itself can
create change e.g. the smoking ban
however policy change is not always enough e.g.
disability, civil partnerships
all successful social change also requires
sustainable behavioural change
How social change happens
but beware of relying on rationality
“It’s a common fallacy that effective
persuasion is driven by rational argument...
people... rarely change long established
habits and behaviours simply because
someone has presented a strong intellectual
case.”
Brand Green: Mainstream or Forever Niche? By
Wendy Gordon. Green Alliance 2002
How social change happens
• The government’s 5 a day fruit and veg
campaign has probably succeeded in
making more people aware that they
should eat 5 portions per day.
How social change happens
• However that hasn’t necessarily led to
people changing their behaviour and
eating 5 portions per day …
How social change happens
Social norms and nudging
• Robert Cialdini, psychology professor at
Arizona State University conducted a test
to increase the reuse of towels in the
Holiday Inn in Phoenix
• Cards with a number of environmental
messages were randomly placed in
guests’ rooms
How social change happens
drivers of social change
• “Help the hotel save energy. Re-use your towels”
• "Help Save the Environment. It deserves our respect…."
•
• "If you will do this we will give a % of the savings to a green cause."
No influence at all.
• "We have donated … If you would like to help cover the expense
while also conserving resources, please re-use your towels"
• "Join your fellow guests in helping to save the environment”.
• “The majority of guests who have stayed in this room have recycled”
Best
How social change happens
• The majority of guests who stay at the hotel do reuse
their towels at least once.
• Most messages produced the same level of response
• The promise to donate by the hotel didn’t work
• What did work was ‘social proofing’ the message - the
majority of our guests do reuse linens at least once
during their stay, we increased linen reuse by 32
percent.
How social change happens
Behavioural economics
• Richard Thaler and nudge
www.nudges.org
• knowing how people think, designing
choice environments that make it easier
for people to choose what is best for
themselves, their families, and their
society.
How social change happens
Nudge research in the
Philippines
• Smokers in the street were offered a bank account that
paid zero interest.
• all the money deposited would be forfeited if, six months,
their urine test showed evidence of smoking.
• more than 1 in 10 of the people approached actually
signed up for the account
• 30 % of those who opened an account quit smoking.
• That’s a higher success rate than is generally seen
among those who try to quit smoking using nicotine
patches, etc.
How social change happens
Nudge examples
• it's better for everyone to be automatically
enrolled in a pension scheme (or more
controversially for organ donation), but
give them an opt-out.
• Or for a shop to put real oranges by the
checkout rather than chocolate versions.
How social change happens
Conservative Party policies
using Nudge
• requiring household energy bills to contain
information enabling families to compare
their energy consumption with that of
similar homes
• Encouraging Councils to pay people to
recycle
• cooling off period of at least seven days
between signing up for a store card and
being able to use it.
How social change happens
Drawbacks of nudge
• Some people take exception to being
'nudged' into what to do by bureaucrats,
however well-intentioned or may not trust
politicians or civil servants to do the right
thing.
• Is 'nudging' behaviour enough, to tackling
climate change, or knife crime ?
• Does nudging ever tackle the root cause?
How social change happens
changing behaviour
•
•
•
•
•
•
focus on a specific behaviour
segment specific groups of people:
understand them, their values and aspirations
and circumstances and connect to them (don’t
preach the issue)
appeal to social norms
ensure two way communication and let go
build in trusted messengers and social
networks
stop and think what is preventing new
behaviour?
How social change happens
lessons for the future?
• people believe the facts of climate
change but aren’t yet acting on a
significant scale
• accepting that climate change is
happening and it will affect the UK
• personally can influence it to a large
extent.
• Moves to ethical consumerism.
How social change happens
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Attitudes
• Behaviour
How social change happens
in 3 groups – discuss what more can be
done to create social change?
How social change happens
in conclusion
social change is complex and relies on a
mixture number of drivers
campaigning can be the start of it but
attitudinal and behavioural change must
combine with appropriate circumstances to deliver
long term change.
How social change happens
Further information:
www.ncvovol.org.uk/campaigningeffectiveness
www.louder.org.uk
www.forumforchange.org.uk
campaigning@ncvo-vol.org.uk
How social change happens