News tagged 'behavioural economics'

Ellen Helsper, London School of Economics

Is the UK a digital leader?  Or are we leaving behind the most vulnerable members of our society?  As many services become digital by default, we risk  excluding those who need services the most. 

It’s time for a rethink. Policies and initiatives that take digital by default as a starting point ignore the complexity of the field they manoeuvre in. Worse, they carry a real danger that a large part of the population will become digitally excluded by default. That should not be acceptable in a country that wants to be Europe’s information society frontrunner.

As the government plans to make public services ‘digital by default’ these individuals will be unable to access them, not because of a lack of infrastructure but because of a lack of effective take-up of the available connections.

As the Race Online initiative comes to an end, circa 24% of the UK population remains digitally excluded of which about half is also deeply socially excluded.  Continued focus on rolling out superfast broadband is ensuring that many more of us are able to benefit from high quality infrastructure.  These technological improvements are being supported by promotion of employment-related digital skills.  However, initiatives are being driven outside the social, cultural, educational and political sphere which provide the critical context in delivering real engagement with, and benefit from, the internet.

Those who need access to services most, from where the biggest cost savings of making services digital are supposed to come, are the least likely to take these up online, even when access to the internet is available.

This can be partly explained by examining reasons for not being online, evidenced by a significant shift over the last 7 years: in 2005 only 50% of non-users indicated a lack of interest as a reason for not being online, while in 2011 disinterest was a reason for 88% of non-users. Simultaneously, the other reasons (lack of access, costs being too high and lack of skills) did not decrease significantly in importance (69%, 44% and 78% respectively in 2011 versus 68%, 52% and 74% in 2005). Source: Non-users of internet (Oxford Internet Survey Data 2005 – 2011)

There is now a much higher proportion of non-users who are excluded for compound reasons.  The policy implications for this are that initiatives and interventions that focus on providing access are less effective in 2011 than they were in 2005. While in 2005 organisations that provided training might have been able to ‘lure’ people into their centres by offering free computer use and free digital skills classes, this offer is now less likely to sufficiently motivate those who are excluded to engage with the internet and online services.

The digital by default policy implicitly assumes that once services and content are online, people will (have to) use them and that, at the point of ubiquitous and uniform access, the level of take up will be equivalent for everyone. If this assumption is wrong, the policy is likely to be costly both in economic and social terms. Those currently excluded lack not only high quality access but are also less motivated and skilled individuals and are therefore unlikely to take full advantage of the range of opportunities available online. Extra support for a group of individuals who need services the most will be needed if aspects of inclusion other than infrastructure and skills are not built into digital inclusion policies.

This is not the first time this argument has been made, but the changing landscape, in which the digitally excluded have become more entrenched in their exclusion and are facing multiple, cumulative barriers to exclusion unlike those faced by previous generations of digitally excluded individuals, means that the argument needs to be made even more forcefully than before.  It is incumbent upon government and local authorities to ensure that the digitization of services does not leave our most vulnerable members of society behind.  Provision must be made to provide motivation and support to engage those with multiple barriers in the digital world and to ensure that those who do not engage are not marginalized further in our society.

In July 2011, Digital Outreach’s new brand Convey delivered community outreach sessions as part of a pilot campaign in Peterborough to help reduce blockages in wastewater pipes and drains. The campaign – commissioned by Anglian Water and managed by social marketing company Corporate Culture - aimed to change people’s behaviour around the waste they put down sinks and toilets.

Blockages in water pipes cause 15,000 blockages a year in the area and cost over £7m a year to clear and prevent. The campaign was very successful, with blockages reduced by more than 60% over just a few weeks. It had a significant impact on people’s attitudes and actions, with the number of people agreeing that reducing blockages is a shared responsibility rising from 52% to 92%, and the percentage saying they were making an extra effort to get rid of waste rising from 51% to 72%. (Source: Street survey, sample of 200 customers)

Anglian Water is now rolling out the project to other ‘hot spots’ where blockages are an issue for local communities. A spectacular animated light show in Peterborough marked the launch of the campaign and explained to residents why the campaign is happening.

Case study – working with the Islamic community in Peterborough
The pilot campaign included a ward in Peterborough where approximately 60% of the population is Muslim. The messaging of the campaign linked in very well with the Islamic faith, which places a high value on water, its purity and cleanliness. Convey approached Peterborough Islam to see if they could help spread the message. The organisation was only too happy to help, and local Imams spoke to over 3,000 people at Friday prayers about the importance of keeping water clean and how residents could take action to reduce contamination in the water in their own communities. Peterborough Islam’s women’s workers were also able to reach Muslim women’s groups to talk to them about putting waste like cooking fat, baby wipes and other items into the bin rather than down the sink or toilet into the water supply.



Convey will be working with Southend Association of Voluntary Services to deliver outreach in the Southend area, and will soon be engaging more voluntary and community sector organisations to help deliver the programme in Northampton, Bedford, Lincoln and Norwich. Supported by training, literature, small grants and giveaways like ‘fat traps’ to make disposing of waste easier, these organisations will cascade the message to other local groups like community groups, children’s centres, faith groups, mother and toddler groups and pre-schools.

The outreach delivered by Convey will link in with activities provided by Anglian Water such as roadshows, engagement with local businesses street teams (to talk to local businesses) and traditional marketing activities like radio/press adverts and posters.

Encouraging results from the pilot project

The results of the pilot project showed the campaign had a big impact on attitudes and behaviours around the disposal of waste.

The chart below shows the rise in concern amongst domestic customers about blockages in wastewater pipes and drains following the pilot. (Source: Street survey, 200 customers)

The chart below shows very large increases in understanding, importance, responsibility and belief that it is easy to act among domestic customers.

If you would like to be amongst the first to hear about new projects such as these, update your details on our database.

Keep It Clear is part of Anglian Water's groundbreaking Love Every Drop sustainability campaign to bring people together to put water at the heart of a new way of sustainable living.

Independent research carried out by i2 media research, a spin-off of Goldsmiths University of London has found that the community outreach programme, delivered by Digital Outreach in partnership with voluntary and community organisations across the UK, has made a big impact on levels of awareness, confidence and knowledge about the digital TV switchover amongst key target groups.

The research assessed the effectiveness of the outreach programme for engaging communities, communicating specific messages, and achieving real behaviour change.

It identified that the community outreach programme has:

• made a significant contribution in reaching and engaging audiences across the six core target groups (to see the list of target groups, click here)
• made a significant impact on levels of awareness, confidence and knowledge of the switchover programme among the key target groups
• reassured people in our target audience groups and enabled them to feel confident about managing the switchover in their own homes
• improved attitudes towards switchover itself, with a marked increase in positive attitudes, and
• worked effectively alongside the overall switchover campaign, increasing how receptive many individuals were to mainstream marketing materials.

Researchers attended five end user events in the Central and Anglia TV regions between January and February 2011, where 140 individuals completed a questionnaire immediately before and immediately after attending the event.  Six to 12 weeks after the switchover took place, researchers contacted some of these individuals again to assess the longer term effects of the programme.

Changing attitudes

The research found that the community outreach programme made a significant difference to attitudes about the switchover.  Before attending a community outreach programme activity or event, most respondents (81%) reported that they felt negative or apathetic towards the switchover.  This reduced significantly immediately after the event, and those reporting a positive attitude increased from 45% to 67% after an event.

Increasing understanding

After attending an end user event, the percentage of respondents who felt their understanding of the benefits of switchover was “good” or “excellent” increased significantly from 33% to 79%.  

And, 44% more people (78% of the total) rated their understanding of how switchover would affect them as “good” or “excellent” after attending the event.

The results showed that before the outreach event, 18% of respondents thought they were eligible for the Switchover Help Scheme. This grew to 36% immediately after the event.

Increasing confidence 

 The research found that the community outreach programme was reassuring and informative - 72% of respondents found the event informative and 62% felt reassured about the digital switchover.

Respondents were asked to rate how confident they were in managing different aspects of the switchover process. 

The proportion of people feeling confident about choosing the best way to receive digital TV increased by from 55% to 92% after attending an end user event.

The proportion of people feeling confident about getting their home ready for switchover on their own increased from 46% to 82%.

There was a consistent feeling amongst respondents that the end user event had given them peace of mind.  They felt reassured about managing the process and that it would be affordable.  In addition, they reported knowing whether their TV sets were ready for switchover – and those who were not ready for switchover were confident that they knew what needed to be done.

Another positive benefit was that many individuals said they were confident in being able to distinguish potential “scams” where unscrupulous individuals were recommending replacing adequate equipment.

Empowering people to help others

The proportion of people who had a “good” or “excellent” knowledge of how to help other people increased by a massive 59% - from 16% to 75%.  This demonstrates the strength of the community outreach programme model in reaching and motivating individuals to disseminate information and help others within their communities.

When contacting the respondents six to 12 weeks after switchover, the researchers found that the community outreach programme had reached into the wider community through the cascade effect.  Most people who had been involved in the programme passed on information to friends, peers, family or more widely into their communities.

The benefits of reaching people at existing events

The nature of the community outreach programme taking place within existing community events was an important factor in increasing people’s confidence and changing their attitudes. People felt comfortable in their environment and confident to ask questions.

Respondents commented particularly on how friendly and informal the sessions were; and that this fostered general discussion without anyone feeling judged.  Some even said they felt “special” that they had received this type of support.

This context was also seen as important in increasing people’s acceptance of mainstream marketing literature produced by Digital UK and the Switchover Help Scheme, especially amongst those who had previously ignored or rejected the material.   

Jude Palmer, Head of Operations at Digital Outreach, said: “We’re delighted with the results of this research. Since we began delivering the community outreach programme in 2008, we’ve received some really positive feedback through stories and anecdotes about the impact it is having on the ground, and this independent research further demonstrates that the programme is really making a positive impact on our target audience.

“This research really reinforces the importance of the role that staff and volunteers in the community have in building people’s confidence about switchover. As trusted and respected voices, they really make a difference to how positive people feel about this big change which affects everybody. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the staff and volunteers who have worked so hard on the community outreach programme to make sure those they support have a positive experience of switchover.”     

The report will soon be available to download from our website.

The London TV region is switching to digital TV in April 2012. The region, served by the Crystal Palace transmitter, is the largest to switch yet - covering 620 square miles and containing nearly 5 million households.

To help people in the city and surrounding areas make the switch, Digital Outreach is delivering four outreach programmes in partnership with local voluntary and community sector organisations.

We have appointed five local organisations to co-ordinate the community outreach programme in the region. The London CVS Network will co-ordinate the community outreach programme in Greater London, while Surrey Community Action, COVER, Voluntary Action Within Kent and Age Concern Slough and Berkshire East will co-ordinate the programme in the more rural Home Counties.

These organisations will be working with local charities and groups to prepare people for the TV switchover, starting in September this year. They will offer free training, access to a small grants scheme and free materials to local groups, enabling them to give advice to their end users on how to switch to digital TV and apply for the Switchover Help Scheme if they are eligible.

The community outreach programme is vital in getting the message out to local communities about switchover and the Help Scheme, but some of the most isolated people fall outside of these networks and are the ‘hardest to reach’. To reach these people, we are delivering the Communities Programme. This programme uses word of mouth to generate interest among those people that the most isolated people already know and trust most – such as local shopkeepers, hairdressers, carers, and community counsellors.

In London, the Communities Programme will be managed by Fin MacGregor and delivered by Circles Network and Greater London Volunteering (Greater London) and Community Impact Buckinghamshire (for the Home Counties).

Digital Outreach organised an induction day for the organisations which are leading on delivering the outreach programmes. Valerie Walwyn, Digital Outreach’s regional manager for London, led the session which was attended by staff from the lead organisations, Digital UK and the Switchover Help Scheme.

Jude Palmer, Head of Operations at Digital Outreach, said: "We work with Digital UK and the Help Scheme to ensure the induction session provides an opportunity for everyone to meet their counterparts so they can develop good working relationships and develop a solid understanding of the work ahead. This TV region is large and diverse, which is reflected in our Lead Organisations, who really enjoyed the day and are looking forward to their work in the run-up to switchover in April 2012."

Get involved!

If you're a voluntary and community sector group and you'd like to help spread the message about switchover and the Switchover Help Scheme, please get in touch with the lead organisation delivering the Community Outreach Programme in your area.

Greater London

East London CVS Network – covering Havering, Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Hackney, City, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Haringey, Enfield and Barnet
Contact Andrea Chott on 020 8519 9500 or andrea.chott@elcvsnetwork.org.uk

South London CVS Partnership – covering Merton, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, Croydon, Lambeth, Sutton, Southwark, Greenwhich, Bexley, Lewisham and Bromley
Contact Chris Burton on 07588 813189 or chris@slcvspartnership.org.uk

Ealing CVS – covering Hounslow, Hillinghdon, Ealing, Harrow, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth, Camden, Islington and Brent
Contact Antony Bewick-Smith on 020 280 2232 or antony@ealingcvs.org.uk

Home Counties

Age Concern Slough and Berkshire East – covering East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire
Contact Rosa Petrucci on 01753 497880 or rosa@ageconcernsabe.org.uk 

COVER – covering Essex and Hertfordshire
Contact Rachel Farr on 01223 861760 or rachel.farr@i-trust.org.uk

Surrey Community Action – covering Surrey
Contact Libby Minto on 01483 447 127 or Lminto@surreyca.org.uk

Voluntary Action Within Kent – covering Kent
Contact Jon Weller on 01892 530330 or Jon.weller@vawk.org.uk



As part of the outreach activity around the digital TV switchover, Digital Outreach delivers a targeted awareness programme on behalf of the Switchover Help Scheme.

The targeted awareness programme increases awareness of the Help Scheme amongst eligible people in areas where the Help Scheme has seen less of a response. The outreach activity is focused on local groups in areas where there are high numbers of eligible people who, without some extra support, may not come forward to use the scheme.

Hamara, a community centre based in Leeds, has been working with us to reach eligible people through the targeted awareness programme in Yorkshire. 

Habib Khan, Business Development Manager of Hamara, says: “Hamara has been around for 15 years now so we’re well known here. The word ‘Hamara’ means ‘ours’ in Urdu – we belong to the whole community, no matter what background or religion people are from. We work with older people, young people, people with special needs ... as well as in partnership with big organisations like Sports England, NHS and Big Lottery Fund to tackle issues in the community. We also work with the Council and support and signpost other community organisations.”

When asked why Hamara got involved in the targeted awareness programme, Habib said: “The Digital Outreach manager for Yorkshire, Liz Andrew, got in touch with us and we had a chat about the switchover work. We felt this fitted into our outcomes, and we thought the Help Scheme was a good programme.  It appealed to us because it’s a national campaign - people in the community are often afraid of national campaigns and don’t think the message is relevant to them. We thought that if we were involved, we could help people feel more comfortable and get the messages across.”

Sukanya Ganguly, Project Coordinator, has been co-ordinating the targeted awareness programme at Hamara. She says: “Our role is to raise awareness of the Help Scheme amongst eligible people in the community. We’ve been going out to talk to people from various backgrounds – for example we’ve been to churches, mosques, Sikh temples, Asian centres , West Indian community centres etc. We quickly found that lots of people in the community weren’t clear about what was happening - they knew that switchover was happening, but not whether they would be affected or what they needed to do.”

Hamara’s role is important in helping people access the Help Scheme, even if they have been contacted by mail.  Sukanya says: “Often, people tell me they got their Help Scheme letters but didn’t read them because they thought it was junk mail and threw it away. We are able to explain that they need to take action and they are eligible for help, and because they trust us we can overcome that barrier.

“Being trusted is really important in actually being able to get the message to the community – some groups think they already know about switchover, or are put off because it’s a national campaign and don’t think it applies to them. Because people know Hamara as a community centre and they already know us, they think “OK, let’s hear what they have to say.”

One of the most common barriers Hamara had to overcome to help people access the Help Scheme is language. “The leaflets in different languages are a really helpful start”, says Sukanya, “but our volunteers also speak the local languages, which is particularly useful for the elderly who are often not comfortable at all with English. For example, I have an appointment next week in the Bangladeshi centre, and the person I was organising it with told me the elderly ladies only speak Bengali. I was able to say “I’m a Bengali!”, so now those ladies know they will be able to understand and speak to me easily. If they have a question after reading the leaflet, they can ask, and get an answer in their own language.” 

As well as the language barrier, Sukanya has found that getting people to take up the offer of help is sometimes challenging!  “At some sessions, people already had digital TV so it was difficult to convince them that they could get help if they had a second TV – getting them to listen and get that message. It’s difficult to keep their attention when they think they already have it and don’t need to listen. One trick I’ve found is to give them a leaflet and say “If you know of anyone else who might need help...” getting them to pass the information on to a friend and hoping that they will then see the information is relevant to them.”

Sukanya has found overcoming these challenges through the targeted awareness programme very rewarding. “All the events we did which included the Asian Blind Association event, the Beeston Festival and the Learning Disability Week, have all been really good and heart-warming,” she says. “At the end of it, we got a good response from most of the participants”.

“I also had a session with the ladies from the care home in Montague Burton Resource Centre where there was one lady who was quite aged. She had had a letter from the Help Scheme saying she was entitled to free help, but she only spoke a regional language and was quite confused. One of the other ladies got me to meet her. She said “Why should I change, I don’t even watch TV anyway!” but I said “Auntie, what if you change your mind?” She didn’t know what to do with the letter. I filled in the letter for her and posted it for her, and now she has got her installation done. I ticked that she needed Urdu so that someone from the call centre would call her back in Urdu. I had a hard time convincing her to get her TV sorted but it was really rewarding."

Working on the programme has benefited Hamara as well as the people they support. Sukanya said that one of the biggest plus points has been working on a national project. “If we are trying to build a new relationship and we can say we are working on the switchover project, they are aware of the project and listen to you more. Having a national scheme behind us has been a big advantage to us that we can continue to use later on.”

Sukanya says working on the project has also benefited her and her volunteers. “I was talking to one of the volunteers, Hammad, and he said he thought this would be good for his CV, has increased his confidence a lot and has taught him how to go and approach people he doesn’t know.  For me, I really like how working on the programme has helped me get better at working with elderly people and people with special needs. The little things are rewarding, like someone saying ‘thank you’.  

“It’s benefited all of us – Hamara, the volunteers – all of us. It’s helped us develop our relationships in the community and other centres – for example Beeston Village Community Centre, APNA Centre, and the Sikh temples, where we met quite a few people and exchanged information and leaflets with them about what each of us does, so it strengthened our relationships so next time we want to get in touch with them they’ll know who we are and remember our switchover work.”

Hamara is pleased with the support received from staff at Digital Outreach and the Help Scheme.  “It’s been really great working with Digital Outreach because we got all the help we needed, from the moment we started training,” says Sukanya. “Once we got started on the project, I had a few queries from elderly people who wanted a call back from the Help Scheme and I’m sure all of them got contacted, it was all taken care of.  This is important for how we are seen in the community – we don’t want to promise someone something and for it not to happen, and with Digital Outreach and the Help Scheme we didn’t have to worry about this. We got all the leaflets and materials that we needed and everybody has been really good.”

Thanks to Sukanya, Hammad, Habib and all at Hamara for the excellent work they have been doing during the run-up to switchover in Leeds.