Our impact report, 10 Years of BETA: Putting people at the heart of policy, brings together our insights over the past decade, the evolution and future of applied behavioural public policy, and case studies with tangible impact and lessons learned to ensure good policy starts with understanding people.
BETA has its foundations in rigorously testing policy ideas.Our behavioural trials show that our interventions typically lead to an extra 10 to 20 people out of every 1,000 taking the action they wanted to take, compared with what would have happened without the intervention. These small but important improvements add up to significant benefits across the community.
Over time, we have broadened our skills to help answer different policy and research questions across the policy cycle. From helping policymakers understand a policy problem to designing and testing potential solutions. We have helped partners better understand the broader context of an issue, recognise trade-offs and consider their next steps.
Our impact
BETA’s work with partners has supported Australians in their interactions with government, businesses and employers. We have helped make life easier for Australians, saved them money, and improved their health and wellbeing (Figure 1).
Helping Australians prosper
We support consumers to engage with markets and ensure systems are designed around how people actually behave. For example, we worked with the Australian Energy Regulator to design a message to go on energy bills that let people know if they could get a better offer with their current retailer, with potential household savings of $291 per year on average.
Improving government services
We make services more streamlined, responsive and respectful. Working with Services Australia, BETA helped shift stigma in government services from being an abstract societal problem to an issue that government agencies can actively address through service design and delivery.
Supporting Australians’ wellbeing
We help build resilience and prevent harms, from domains of health to security. BETA’s research on the benefits of paid family and domestic violence (FDV) leave brought victim-survivors’ stories into policy discussions. Our work provided an evidence base and informed the actions Australian Government agencies have taken.
Making life easier for Australians
We help reduce complexity in government processes so people can navigate time pressures and competing demands. For example, BETA’s hotel quarantine guide, one component of the Australian Government’s effort to address the psychological effects of quarantine. This guide received positive feedback from travellers and was downloaded more than 55,000 times.
Supporting a more inclusive and productive workforce
We help businesses develop more inclusive and productive workforces and workplaces. In partnership with Home Affairs, BETA developed guidance to support cyber security employers to change their recruitment processes, making them more welcoming and inclusive for all Australians. These changes have the potential to broaden the talent pool and improve productivity through better job matching.
Building APS capability
We share skills, tools and lessons learned so more policies and people can benefit from a behavioural science lens and evidence-informed policy. For example, Form-a-Palooza, an event held by BETA in 2019 with 38 agencies, helped to mainstream a customer-focused mindset across the APS by making behavioural insights tangible and practical.
Our lessons and looking ahead
As we look to the future, we are building on the key lessons we have learned.
- Good public policy starts with understanding people – doing research with Australians and understanding their contexts remains critical.
- Evidence provides more certainty and better outcomes – understanding Australians’ experiences and testing interventions helps effectively identify what works and why.
- Rigour and relevance go together – high-quality, ethical research must be designed to meet the unique needs of the policy process.
- Behavioural science is a tool for everyone – with opportunities for teams across governments to use existing tools in their work or seek specialised support.
The challenges facing Australians will continue to evolve, and so too will the policy landscape. As we look to the future, BETA will continue to look for opportunities to improve the lives of Australians by working with the people affected by government policies and services.
Read our report - 10 years of BETA: Putting people at the heart of policy