5 Interesting and Effective Nudges From Around the World

I find the idea of nudging very interesting, and decided to do some research on how other countries use nudges to persuade people. Below are 5 different nudges that are used around the world.

1. Sydney, Australia: Recycle and Win Prizes

Machines like the one above are placed around Sydney in an effort to nudge people to recycle. When recyclables are placed in the machine, a reward or gift of some sort is given to the person in return. Gifts range from 10 cent donations to charities, to being entered into a drawing for two free tickets to Sydney New Year's Eve Dawes Point viewing area. Click here to learn more about Sydney's effort to increase recycling by its citizens.

2. Singapore: Bag-Down Benny

As a part of the "Thoughtfulness, bring it out" movement, the Singapore Land Transport Authority has placed "Bag-Down Benny" decals in cars of trains. The idea behind this campaign is to motivate public transport commuters to be nice and make room for others on the train. The decal says "With my bag down, there's more room for others". Other decal characters that have been created for trains include Stand-up Stacey, Move-In Martin, Give-Way Glenda, and Hush-Hush Hannah. Just seeing these signs and knowing others see them too has created a more pleasant public transportation experience for the citizens of Singapore. Click here to learn more about the "Thoughtfulness, bring it out" movement. 

3. London, England: Baby Faces on Store Fronts

Large baby faces were painted onto London storefronts in an effort to reduce crime. The baby faces were thought to promote a caring response in humans with their big eyes and round faces. It also represents innocence, making people think twice before committing a crime. Just one year after these murals were painted, anti-social crimes had decreased outside of these storefronts. This campaign was put on by Oglivychange, an organization that creates nudges to test social behaviors. They also put on a conference every year called Nudgestock that focuses solely on the concept of nudging. To learn more about Oglivychange, click here. 

4. Canada: 3-D Children in the Road

In an effort to nudge drivers to slow down while driving through school zones, a Canadian safety group has painted 3-D children in the streets. The safety group hoped that this would get drivers' attention and make them think twice before speeding through school zones. However, other people are concerned that this will actually have the opposite effect. Just as people become desensitized to ads after a certain amount of time, there is a chance that people could become desensitized to these 3-D road paintings as well, and accidentally hit an actual child instead. For more on this debate, click here. 

5. Essen, Germany: The Chocolate Machine

The Chocolate Machine was created at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany to help improve people's willpower. The machine works by dispensing a ball of chocolate every hour, giving the person two choices: either to eat the chocolate now, or put it back in the machine to be dispensed in another hour. The machine also has a counter on it to show you how many times you successfully put the ball back into the machine. Studies show that after using the machine for two weeks, it is easier to resist the ball over time. To learn more about the reasoning for this machine, click here.