Writing it down: suggestions for a new approach to policy delivery

Reid, L., Sutton, P., and Hunter, C.

Contact: L. Reid, School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen; l.a.reid@abdn.ac.uk

Abstract:

A fashionable field of enquiry, the relationship between expressed attitudes and actual behaviour in the context of sustainable development is complex (Staats et al., 2004) and difficult to apply in a policy-relevant manner (Aall and Norland, 2005).  The household, however, represents a key ‘unit’ for understanding the environmental impact of consumption patterns and for instigating educational programmes and policy designed to change consumer behaviour (Simmons & Chambers, 1998).  Despite this recognition, the majority of academic research used as evidence to inform policy-making in this area relies heavily on social-psychological approaches, which are limited in the sense that they are principally concerned with better understanding, or predicting, only individual behaviour. There is thus a subsequent gap in the development and targeting of policy given that households have been suggested as having a significant environmental impact (Caird and Roy 2006), and that current social-psychological approaches do not accurately capture behaviours that may arise by virtue of the household (Gronhoj 2006). 

Recent research indicates that the use of a household diary can be beneficial in helping to quantify household environmental impact, in educating householders about their impact, and in identifying major ‘behavioural turning points’, where householders may focus efforts to reduce their environmental impact (Hunter et al., 2006).  In other words, the use of a diary by householders is a potentially powerful tool in encouraging and facilitating desired behavioural change.  The aim of my research is to assess the innovative use of a household diary approach as a means of framing and collecting household environmental impact data, and, critically, as an educational vehicle for bringing about behavioural change, a key target of Defra and Scottish Government policy.  This research thereby offers the provision of significant insights into the likely effectiveness of current and future policy proposals aimed at bridging the divide between people’s desire to contribute to an emerging form of environmental/ecological citizenship (Smith 1998, Dobson & Bell 2006) and their self-assessed capacity for doing so. 

The research has revealed some interesting implications for policy-makers and presents an opportunity for a fresh approach towards the design, implementation and delivery of policy.  In much the same way as we learn a language by writing it down, or as students, learn a topic by studying it, the diary approach, which facilitates the recording and writing down of behaviours, offers an avenue for learning about (un)sustainable behaviours.  Interestingly, the initial results indicate that the act of writing down such activities may have a significant effect on the way participants feel about their behaviour; for example, one participant noted that writing in the diary ‘forced us to think about a wide range of environmental issues’ and that it ‘was beneficial to the extent that it served as a reminder of…what we consume and how we handle waste’.  Based on these initial findings, it is clear that there is some potential to develop practical policy measures which empower householders by allowing them to better grasp their environmental impact and consequentially, recoup positive implications in terms of financial savings (reducing the amount of food thrown out) and health benefits (walking/cycling more).