During Covid it can often seem difficult to know the safest way to behave as circumstances can change on a daily basis.  Research from MIT suggests that we’re often nudged towards certain behaviors by the behavior of our neighbors.

The study, which was conducted in China in the spring of 2020, found that when people were informed that their neighbors were visiting restaurants, they were themselves 12% more likely to do so.  This was because awareness of our neighbors’ activities changed our risk preferences.

Dealing with uncertainty

The authors suggest that people often struggle to fully understand the nature of the guidance given to them by the government, so instead, look for guidance from those nearest to them.  As such, they believe that this could provide governments with a low-cost way of shifting consumer activity when restrictions are eased.

The researchers tracked 622 volunteers over a number of weeks in the period after China’s initial lockdown period was eased.  The participants were asked their opinion on how their neighbors were behaving in terms of trips to restaurants etc.  They also downloaded a bespoke app that tracked their movements using GPS.

Half of the volunteers received data on the number of neighbors who were planning to eat out on any given weekend.  This was designed to produce a “descriptive norm.”

“We use a descriptive norm experimental design, a well-established method in psychology,” the researchers say. “Given that the nudge is relatively simple to implement and practically free, we think it might come in handy for others trying to promote reopening.”

Perceiving risk

Central to the finding was the perception of risk of the volunteers.  The researchers repeated their experiment but this time tested to see if people would be more likely to go to public parks, which were chosen as they’re deemed a safe activity.  This time, there was no change in behavior observed.

While the study captured one place at one particular moment in time, the researchers nonetheless believe that the findings provide an interesting start point for further exploration as countries begin to lift restrictions again after the Omicron wave.

“We do recognize that it won’t always work as well as it did for us,” they conclude. “The simplicity and generic aspect of this intervention allows policymakers to use our design and implement it in their communities, across the world.”