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A Synthesis of Evidence for Policy from Behavioural Science During COVID-19
This review provides a rigorous assessment of 747 pandemic-related scientific articles on human behavior during COVID-19.
Citation
Ruggeri, Kai, Friederike Stock, S. Alexander Haslem, Valerio Capraro, Paulo Boggio, Naomi Ellemers, Aleksandra Cichoka, et al. “A synthesis of evidence for policy from behavioural science during COVID-19.” Nature, (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06840-9
Date Posted
Dec 13, 2023
Authors
- Kai Ruggeri,
- Friederike Stock,
- S. Alexander Haslam,
- Valerio Capraro,
- Paulo Boggio,
- Naomi Ellemers,
- Aleksandra Cichocka,
- Karen M. Douglas,
- David G. Rand,
- Sander van der Linden,
- Mina Cikara,
- Eli J. Finkel,
- James N. Druckman,
- Michael J. A. Wohl,
- Richard E. Petty,
- Joshua A. Tucker,
- Azim Shariff,
- Michele Gelfand,
- Dominic Packer,
- Jolanda Jetten,
- Paul A. M. Van Lange,
- Gordon Pennycook,
- Ellen Peters,
- Katherine Baicker,
- Alia Crum,
- Kim A. Weeden,
- Lucy Napper,
- Nassim Tabri,
- Jamil Zaki,
- Linda Skitka,
- Shinobu Kitayama,
- Dean Mobbs,
- Cass R. Sunstein,
- Sarah Ashcroft-Jones,
- Anna Louise Todsen,
- Ali Hajian,
- Sanne Verra,
- Vanessa Buehler,
- Maja Friedemann,
- Marlene Hecht,
- Rayyan S. Mobarak,
- Ralitsa Karakasheva,
- Markus R. Tünte,
- Siu Kit Yeung,
- R. Shayna Rosenbaum,
- Žan Lep,
- Yuki Yamada,
- Sa-kiera Tiarra Jolynn Hudson,
- Lucía Macchia,
- Irina Soboleva,
- Eugen Dimant,
- Sandra J. Geiger,
- Hannes Jarke,
- Tobias Wingen,
- Jana Berkessel,
- Silvana Mareva,
- Lucy McGill,
- Francesca Papa,
- Bojana Većkalov,
- Zeina Afif,
- Eike K. Buabang,
- Marna Landman,
- Felice Tavera,
- Jack L. Andrews,
- Aslı Bursalıoğlu,
- Zorana Zupan,
- Lisa Wagner,
- Joaquin Navajas,
- Marek Vranka,
- David Kasdan,
- Patricia Chen,
- Kathleen R. Hudson,
- Lindsay M. Novak,
- Paul Teas,
- Nikolay R. Rachev,
- Matteo M. Galizzi,
- Katherine L. Milkman,
- Marija Petrović,
- Jay J. Van Bavel,
- Robb Willer
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Abstract
Scientific evidence regularly guides policy decisions, with behavioural science increasingly part of this process. In April 2020, an influential paper proposed 19 policy recommendations (‘claims’) detailing how evidence from behavioural science could contribute to efforts to reduce impacts and end the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we assess 747 pandemic-related research articles that empirically investigated those claims. We report the scale of evidence and whether evidence supports them to indicate applicability for policymaking. Two independent teams, involving 72 reviewers, found evidence for 18 of 19 claims, with both teams finding evidence supporting 16 (89%) of those 18 claims. The strongest evidence supported claims that anticipated culture, polarization and misinformation would be associated with policy effectiveness. Claims suggesting trusted leaders and positive social norms increased adherence to behavioural interventions also had strong empirical support, as did appealing to social consensus or bipartisan agreement. Targeted language in messaging yielded mixed effects and there were no effects for highlighting individual benefits or protecting others. No available evidence existed to assess any distinct differences in effects between using the terms ‘physical distancing’ and ‘social distancing’. Analysis of 463 papers containing data showed generally large samples; 418 involved human participants with a mean of 16,848 (median of 1,699). That statistical power underscored improved suitability of behavioural science research for informing policy decisions. Furthermore, by implementing a standardized approach to evidence selection and synthesis, we amplify broader implications for advancing scientific evidence in policy formulation and prioritization.