Introducing ISMAndrew Darnton

Jake Elster Jones

CharityComms14th July 2016

What is Behaviour Change?

• For policymakers (NAO 2011):

An intervention to encourage individuals to change their behaviour in a way that will help Government achieve its policy goals...incorporating a better understanding of behaviour

• For practitioners (Darnton 2012):

A way of working based on the understanding of behaviours and audiences which results in learning and change

Back to the Beginning:GSR Behaviour Change Knowledge Review (July 2008)

60+ Models of Behaviour:Triandis’ Theory of Interpersonal Behaviour (1977)

materials objects

competenceprocedureskill

imagessymbolic meanings

60+ Models of Behaviour:Circulation of Elements in a Practice (Shove 2008)

60+ Models of Behaviour:Dahlgren & Whitehead’s Main Determinants of Health(1993)

60+ Models of Behaviour:Foresight’s Obesity System Map (2007)

60+ Models of Behaviour:“There is no one winning model” (AD GSR 2008)

ISM(Darnton & Evans, March 2013)

ISM(Darnton & Evans, March 2013)

ISM applied to Mobile Phone Driving

• SOCIAL CONTEXT:

MEANINGS

• MATERIAL CONTEXT:

TIME & SCHEDULES

• INDIVIDUAL CONTEXT:

COSTS & BENEFITS

SOCIAL

MATERIAL

Norms

Roles & Identity

Opinion Leaders

Networks & Relationships

Meanings

Infrastructure

ObjectsTechnologies

Institutions

Rules & Regulations

Time & Schedules

Tastes

INDIVIDUAL

Values, Beliefs, Attitudes

Emotions

Agency

Skills

Costs & Benefits

Habit

ISM applied to Eat Less Meat

• I: EmotionsFilling and tasty

SOCIAL

MATERIAL

Norms

Roles & Identity

Opinion Leaders

Networks & Relationships

Meanings

Infrastructure

ObjectsTechnologies

Institutions

Rules & Regulations

Time & Schedules

Tastes

INDIVIDUAL

Values, Beliefs, Attitudes

Emotions

Agency

Skills

Costs & Benefits

Habit

• I: Costs & BenefitsUnhealthy/ processed foods deliver cheaper calories

• I: HabitFamiliarity Effect

• S: NetworksYoung people eat less meat

• S: TastesDifferent meats/methods confer distinction

• S: Meanings‘vegetarian’, ‘ethnic foods’

• M: InfrastructureConvenience stores (mini-supermarkets)

• M: ObjectsReady meals

• M: TechnologiesMicrowaves

Where have we used ISM...

The Scottish Government

Zero Waste Scotland

Scottish Local

AuthoritiesThe Scottish Parliament

West Lothian Schools

Energy Saving Trust

Carbon Trust

Cwm Harry / Zero Waste Presteigne

Defra UK DfT UK DH

FCRN / Wellcome

TrustNUS /

HEFCE NUS /Home

OfficeNorthern Ireland

Executive

Scottish Natural Heritage

...and for what?

RPP2&3 eg. Electric Vehicles

Doggy Bags Active Travel Engaging in Democracy

Recycling Beyond

Conservation Areas

Solid Wall Insulation

Low Carbon Workplaces

Community Waste

ManagementLine Drying Mobile Phone

DrivingPhysical Activity /

Healthy Eating

Eat Less Meat Edible Campuses Pre-Drinking

Prog for Govteg.

Drug Courts

ISM Principles of Change

For substantive and lasting change:

i) Work in multiple contexts

ii) Draw on multiple disciplines

iii) Involve multiple stakeholders

Worked Example (AD mini-group)Eat No Meat

• 3 given reasons for being a veggie: health, animal welfare, environment

INDIVIDUAL

Values, Beliefs, Attitudes

EmotionsAgencySkills

Costs & Benefits

Habit

• More costly? Vs processed meat as cheap calories

• Less costly? Local/organic/quality meat is expensive

• Meat is tasty• Cooking meat is fast

• The habit of cooking from scratch• Meal repertoires• Weekday routines• Dietary preferences (inc.

Vegetarianism) handed down from parents

• Cooking skills (esp. new meals)

• How to eat healthily (esp. if veggie – need for protein, nutrients etc)

• Doubts: hard to be sure something has no meat in

• Cooking meat is easy• Cooking new meals (veggie or

other) needs to be learnt/practised

ISM applied to Eat No Meati) Individual Factors

SOCIAL

Norms

Roles & Identity

Opinion Leaders

Networks & Relationships

MeaningsInstitutions

Tastes

• Vegetarian• Flexetarian / Meat Reducer

• Fitting in (esp. family friendship groups, social events): both in terms of values and cooking/eating arrangements

• Umami (ie. the ‘meat’ taste, which could be obtained from other foods)

• Body image (esp. musclebound young/men)

• …leading to obsession with protein (usually animal based)

• Curry (authentic curries often non meat)

• Sunday Roast• Christmas Dinner• Holland & Barrett (healthfood

positioning, in fact sell a lot of protein supplements)

• Eating out (often no/less veggie)

• Eating local food (potential meat bias?)

• Meat (“the dish for men…who have second helpings” – Bourdieu)

• Veggie = socks and sandals (but young may have different views…)

• Good food = natural food• The British landscape (eg.

cows)• ‘Full English’

• Family• (Veggy) Friends

• Plenty of role models: eg. veggie athletes (inc David Hay)

• Some obvious role models may be a deterrent for the mass public (eg. Gwyneth Paltrow)

• NB current groundswell vs. experts? (cf. Brexit campaign)

ISM applied to Eat No Meatii) Social Factors

MATERIAL

Infrastructure

ObjectsTechnologies

Rules & Regulations

Time & Schedules

• Veggie Restaurants (eg. Zizzi, Las Iguanas)• Food shops (esp. lunch time eg. Pret vs

Greggs)

• Govt/other dietary advice

• Quorn (NB ‘untasty’ for some)• Processed foods (meat vs veg)• Access to fresh (and local) fruit &

veg (eg. via the cool chain)

• (Lack of) Meat Alternatives and Substitutes eg. Nut Roast (and nothing else!?)

• Veggie ready meals – esp. curries• Protein powder!• Beans on toast (and other non-veggie meat free

foods)

• Cooking meat is fast, veg is slow (myth?)• Childhood (establishes food likes/habits)• Meat Free Mondays• Vegetarianism is forever (flextarian is

flexi)• Journeys, lifestages (eg. meat to flexi,

flexi to veg) [do we understand these?]

ISM applied to Eat No Meatiii) Material Factors

Implications for Intervention

• Eating practices are determined by a wide range of factors – including manywhich are social (we usually eat together) and habitual (we frequently eatthe same things). Rational factors are unlikely to determine the food we eat(the reasons given for being veggie tend to be post-hoc explanations).

• Eating less meat is an easier ask than eating no meat – relative not absolute(and can involve no meat some days, as well as less everyday)

• Explore more (eg. do research) about how people become vegetarian (eg. aprogression via flexitarianism, or a sudden shift?)

• Make alternatives to meat (ingredients; dishes; menus) obvious, available,and easy

• Meat eating is the result of childhood experiences, and is embedded inBritish culture (eg. Sunday Roast, Xmas Dinner). Widespread and lastingchange will take time (decades?), and will require cross-societycollaboration (maybe starting with an ISM working group).

• The ISM worked example shows how the factors differ by audience:young/men, young/women, older people (who reduce meat intakeanyway)… so repeat the ISM mapping, for each audience

• …And potentially repeat for different behaviours: eg. buy a non-meat ready meal, avoid meat at lunch, adopt Meat Free Monday etc

Further Reading:ISM User Guide

www.gov.scot/resource/0042/00423436.pdfISM Technical Guide

www.gov.scot/Resource/0042/00423531.pdf

www.adranda.co.uk

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14 July 2016

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