Investment in research to understand human behaviour is a priority for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). We aim to enhance capacity and capability to tackle major societal challenges, such as national security and climate change.
Understanding human behaviour is a key area of social science. It underpins other priorities, including many of UK Government’s Areas of Research Interest.
The following are a few examples of current cross-cutting activity where behavioural research is key.
National Capability in Behavioural Research (NCBR)
ESRC has invested £17 million over five years to create the NCBR programme, which aims to build world-leading capability in interdisciplinary behavioural research.
This flagship programme aims to harness, connect, and extend the UK’s existing capacity and capability to research fundamental questions about human behaviour. The NCBR’s key objectives are to:
- facilitate evidence-based decision making through timely, high-impact, and independent research on human behaviour that meets the needs of policymakers, industry, and civil society
- build a critical mass of researchers with the knowledge and skills to transform our understanding of human behaviour by applying a diverse range of relevant methods
Central to this investment is Behavioural Research UK, which aims to connect and convene stakeholders from across different sectors. It acts as a hub, covering the whole of the UK with academic, policy and industry representatives across the four nations.
This is complemented by the Centre for Doctoral Training and Research Excellence in Understanding Behaviours (CENTRE-UB), a Centre for Doctoral Training Plus (CDT+). CENTRE-UB will develop the next generation of PhD graduates, early career researchers and provide relevant training to researchers working in government and other sectors.
These investments will complement and build on existing expertise, resources and research by building capacity and expanding the range of disciplines and expertise that can contribute to understanding of human behaviour.
Understanding the impact of COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic shone a bright light on the role that social sciences can play alongside biological and medical studies.
Behavioural research is valuable for investigating individual and community behaviours, attitudes and language around interventions such as those intended to stop the spread of infection. ESRC-supported research included:
- mask-wearing and social distancing
- developing evidence-based messages to encourage preventive health behaviours such as handwashing and social distancing
- vaccination, to help shape public health messaging and increase vaccine uptake
Our ambition with the National Capability in Behavioural Research is to build on this legacy and create a lasting capability which informs practice and directly addresses the toughest policy challenges that we face nationally.
Climate change and sustainability
Understanding behaviour and drivers of behaviour is essential to the study of climate change and the efforts to mitigate and adapt to it.
The Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS) network is providing leadership on tackling and solving a range of climate and environmental problems using social science.
In recognising that technological solutions alone are not enough, ACCESS is working to share an understanding of how people, societies, and systems need to change and adapt to create a healthier environment and meet net zero goals.
Our investments are also looking at approaches that go beyond a focus on ‘behaviour change’ and explore more transformative and socially just approaches. The Centre for Joined Up Sustainability Transformations (JUST) is exploring how we can meet climate goals while also improving citizens’ quality of life.
Working closely with communities in five regions of the north of England, JUST is seeking to understand what works, when, where, and for whom, in a just transition to low-carbon living. The aim is to support decision-makers by meeting their needs for evidence.
Security and resilience
Understanding how populations behave in risky situations or under pressure is invaluable for improving our current security and resilience to future threats.
Huge volumes of data relevant to societal risk are routinely collected, for example through satellite systems and surveillance applications. Scientific advances (including AI, data science and language analysis) offers new ways of using these data to understand how populations might react in situations of conflict, disaster or threat.
The Network Plus for Analytical Behavioural Science for security and defence (NABS+) programme uses new forms of data and analytics to address national security and defence challenges.
The programme will develop a behavioural science community that is better equipped to respond to existential and acute threats, who can navigate policy dilemmas, and are adept at working with both big and small data.