Britain’s transition to a decarbonised economy depends on nationwide uptake of low-carbon technologies and lifestyles. We will need to change the way we heat, eat, travel, spend and consume. The Climate Change Committee’s “balanced pathway” to net zero shows the majority (53 per cent) of emissions cuts required depend on consumer adoption of new tech, including heat pumps, electric vehicles (EVs), and other smart technologies.
This is both an engineering challenge and an economic challenge – but fundamentally, it is also behavioural. The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) is the leading behavioural science consultancy, spun out of 10 Downing Street (it was also known as the “Nudge Unit”). In our latest report we examine the challenge of public engagement for net zero, working alongside Smart Energy GB. They’re the national, not-for-profit campaign engaging and encouraging households and small businesses across Great Britain to take up and use a vital piece of net zero home energy tech: smart meters.
The smart meter rollout is a complex, multi-stakeholder programme and is probably the best we have in terms of wide-ranging public engagement and campaigning for home technology adoption. Net zero is a similar challenge, but so much bigger.
We therefore take vital lessons from Smart Energy GB, and other case studies, and present data from a new survey of British households on attitudes towards net zero, a wide range of home energy behaviours, and the appetite for public engagement. Our key conclusion: encouraging individual action and maintaining public support for net zero can only be done with an ambitious and coordinated effort in communications, marketing, and public engagement.
Below we set out the tasks we believe are necessary in such an effort:
Raise awareness: we must inform people of what to do, then we must show them how to do it and persuade them of the benefits
Most of us misdirect our efforts because we overemphasise small actions, like turning off lights and recycling. Many fail to realise the greater impact that bigger steps – how we heat our home, the car we drive, what we eat and how much we fly – can have on reducing our emissions.
Even once people realise what they should do, many of the behaviours we require of them are complex and take several stages to be fully adopted. Guiding people through the process can bring great value. We must also create demand by persuading people of the benefits of the change we want to see.
Build public acceptance of green tech: we must demystify new technologies or scepticism, design and effectively communicate better net zero policy by understanding the public needs and concerns, and importantly, build trust in net zero institutions and the wider narrative
Our research found myths surrounding heat pumps, EVs, and solar power, exacerbated by mainstream and social media. For example, according to our research nearly half of people don’t think heat pumps work in cold weather, and three-quarters believe EV batteries need replacing every few years. These misconceptions and overstated concerns are slowing down voluntary adoption and diminishing public acceptability of key policies such as future phase-outs of boilers and combustion vehicles.
While backing for net zero is high, data also shows a significant minority of the public believe it will be economically damaging. We must look to communicate a positive and persuasive narrative about a low-carbon future which highlights the additional benefits to the economy, health, well-being, and communities.
Improve access to green choices: we must signpost financial support and aid sound financial decision-making; and make green choices easier with tailored tools, guidance, and support, as well as signal low-carbon choices in the real world
To improve access to low-carbon choices, we need wide-ranging policies to reduce costs, consumer risk, and hassle. But public engagement and communications can still do a lot.
We can signpost existing financial support that many don’t know about (research from BIT on behalf of Smart Energy GB showed 48 per cent believe there are no available home insulation grants); provide tools to inform big financial decisions (the same research found a third don’t realise EV charging is cheaper per mile than fuel); reduce hassle and risk with tailored support and tips; and develop product ecolabels to help turn vague awareness into the right purchase decisions.
Accelerate the adoption of net zero technology and behaviours: we must inspire, motivate and normalise to create demand, and provide calls to action at timely moments in consumers’ lives
It’s not enough to raise awareness, or even achieve passive “acceptance” of new technologies. Heat pumps and EVs require significant investment, so people have to want them. This sets the challenge apart from most Government-led behavioural change initiatives; it requires a more commercial mindset with a strong focus on marketing and category advertising. Communications and marketing delivered at “moments of change” – narrow windows of opportunity which disrupt the status quo and force a decision – can have far more bang for their buck. Previous BIT research has shown that advertising a new cycle share scheme to those moving home was four times more effective compared to existing residents.
The public wants this
As many as 82 per cent of people told us they’d be in favour of a national campaign, and 84 per cent think it would make them more willing and able to make greener choices. When we ask people what support they need, “better information” ranks as high as “reduced costs” for many low-carbon behaviours.
But the voice of public engagement matters. The public highly rates the importance of credibility, trustworthiness, and impartiality with no commercial interests. Consumer awareness and advice bodies, and not-for-profits, are rated significantly higher than businesses, climate activist organisations or government departments.
We believe there is a strong case for an independent body, which has strong branding, public recognition, and credibility, to be a central coordinating voice of the net zero transition, from a consumer engagement and behaviour-change perspective
This organisation must deliver an effective campaign on a large scale. This includes looking through a “behavioural lens”, to take a diverse public through an adoption and behaviour-change journey potted with many barriers and challenges. It must understand how to engage the public, understand their unique needs and beliefs, as well as coordinate activity across diverse stakeholders. Net zero is a challenge for so many reasons. We must, at least, ensure a coherent, fair and strategic approach to bringing the public along on this 25-year journey.
You can read the full report on Smart GB’s website.
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