Bankers are more likely to give to charity if you give them a packet of sweets, according to research by the Government’s team tasked with changing the way we behave.
The Behavioural Insights Team tried various approaches to persuade investment bankers to donate a day’s salary to charity.
They included a personalised email from the chief executive, a visit from a celebrity, being greeted by a volunteer and handing out a small packet of sweets.
The team found that the personalised email and the packet of sweets, which aimed to induce reciprocity, were the most powerful interventions - together boosting the proportion of participants donating from 5 per cent to 17 per cent.
The findings were part of the latest report by the Government’s behavioural psychology team, which is having an increasingly influential role with ministers in a range of different areas.
From increasing charitable giving, reducing tax fraud and redesigning parts of the benefits system to increase incentives to find work, the so-called “nudge theory” is being used to encourage people to change their behaviour and help the Government meet its goals.
It was set up five years ago, making Britain one of the first countries in the world to embrace nudge theory.
Ministers are also intending to expand its remit into some of the most controversial areas of Government policy, using it to identify the most effective measures the Government can take to encourage illegal migrants to leave the UK and countering Islamic extremism.
