We saw a dramatic change in people’s behavior brought about by information (and misinformation) regarding the worldwide spread of COVID-19. People began clamoring for more health information and others started wearing surgical face masks to protect themselves. Following advice from the Department of Health, several organizations cancelled their scheduled conferences and conventions this year.
What surprised me, however, is the fact that many food, retail, and service companies started providing hand sanitizers not only to their employees but also to their customers. Schools, hospitals, and shopping malls did the same, and even placed posters at entry and exit points to inform the public on infection control measures that should be observed within their premises. The placement of posters, the availability of and accessibility to alcohol or hand sanitizers created a positive reinforcement that influenced individual and group decision-making leading to a change in behavior. In behavioral science, this is best explained by the “Nudge Theory”.
The reaction of the Filipino community to this actual health threat is a manifestation of how the theory works. Based on observation, some people who saw hand sanitizers and alcohols on counter tops actually rubbed some on their hands. To an extent, the mere presence of these alcohol-containing preparations ‘nudged’ people to make the right decision which is to practice hand hygiene. Studies in other countries such as the UK have been successful in providing empirical evidence to support the use of nudging to influence behavior in health care settings. Such practice, however, has not been extensively explored in the Philippines.
While we focus on containing the local transmission of COVID-19 in Metro Manila for now, health care professionals and policy makers can take this opportunity to review existing policies on hand hygiene, infection control, and even outbreaks. We have been accustomed to using the rational choice model to create policies influencing people’s behavior. Using this model, we assume that humans are rational beings and given adequate information, they will rationally act on their own self-interest. Sadly, this approach does not work well in real life. Fortunately, the nudge theory, introduced by Nobel-prize winner Richard Thaler and law professor Cass Sunstein, provides policy-makers with another approach to influencing behavior. This theory suggests that we cannot stop people from being irrational because much of instant decision-making is influenced by context and environment. We can, however, seek to influence decision-making impulses to produce outcomes that are beneficial both at the individual and societal levels.
At the moment, we are pleased and thankful for the initiatives of private companies to educate their employees and customers on proper hand hygiene, and providing the necessary facilities to practice hand hygiene procedures. In the future, we should hope to see how the government will use nudging techniques to influence people’s behavior. As the theory can be applied even in realms outside health, nudging presents a low-cost and effective policy option that can perhaps complement or replace traditional regulation with nudges to influence people’s everyday choices without restricting their freedom of choice, and imposing penal charges or taxation.