1. Why do individuals change behaviour?

2. Reasons for change?
Negative effects of a behaviour reach a certain level
Recognition that it is possible to change, e.g.
Behaviour of ‘trusted others’
Change moment
Fashion
Perception of the benefits
Need to understand, often unexpected reasons

3. Understanding reactions to recycling
Motivation
What might motivate changes?
Why might people be willing to recycle?
Barriers
What stops people recycling?

4. Why do we change? Motivations 1
Money sometimes motivates
People don’t know costs (visible vs. invisible)
Cultural and social values more important – even in ‘economic’ decisions
Money is not important for everyone
Financial incentives – can be lost to ‘free riders’
They can increase non-desired behaviours
Financial incentives may not bring long term change

5. Why do we change? Motivations 2
Information sometimes motivates
Assume that if you know, you will change
Brochures alone – negligible savings
Pamphlets, videos and other brochures (0-2%)
Can result in attitude rather than behaviour change
Can result in increase in undesirable behaviour
Needs to be framed in terms of losses

6. Why do we change? Motivations 3
Attitudes sometimes motivate
Extensive psychological research
Programs often predicated on the belief that attitudes cause behaviour
89% Sydneysiders favour home energy actions
- 59% take them

7. What makes it easy to change?
if it suits our lifestyle
if it fits into our core values
if we gain personal benefits
if there is a wide range of choices
if it is perceived to be easy for us
if it easy to see (measure) that we have changed
if it occurs at a change moment in our life
if we get positive recognition/reinforcement

8. Perceived to be easy – what are the barriers?
Habit
Lack of knowledge
Nobody else is doing it
We selectively interpret research/messages depending on what we agree with