BIT

📱 Why does 'just 5 mins' on social media turn into an hour?

Our behavioural audit for @ofcom.bsky.social found major platforms use design to maximise engagement—often at the cost of user well-being.

Here’s how better design could support healthier, more intentional online habits 👇 bit.ly/4kKu3rL

Why behavioural insights matter for policing today | BIT Policing today demands more than enforcement. It requires proactive prevention, early intervention and building trust with communities. Yet many policing challenges hinge on human behaviour: victims e...

Policing today is about more than enforcement – it’s about prevention, early action and building trust.

We worked with officers and staff at @cheshirepolice.bsky.social to explore how behavioural insights can improve everyday decision-making and service delivery.

Read more: bit.ly/44rc2Zu

Why society changes: behavioural science explains social norms | BIT Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT’s Chief Behavioural Scientist, dives deep into the science behind these shifts - asking the question ‘What...

🎧 New BIT podcast: How do social norms shift and what role can behavioural science play?

Recorded live at #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, our Chief Behavioural Scientist @mhallsworth.bsky.social speaks with global experts on what drives change in societies, systems & institutions.

⬇️ Tune in: bit.ly/4ltzbkU

🚨 We're hiring! We're looking for a Senior Research Advisor to join our Economic Policy team in the UK.

We’re looking for someone with strong quantitative skills and a passion for using evidence to help people make better decisions.

👇 Find out more and apply by 14 July: bit.ly/4k2pRmU

What makes nations succeed? Insights from Nobel Laureate Professor James Robinson | BIT Join Mónica Wills Silva, BIT’s Director of International Programmes, as she sits down with Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor James Robinson, to hear his insights on how inclusive political insti...

What sets successful nations apart?

Earlier this year Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor James Robinson joined us to share his insights on how inclusive political institutions and innovation drive sustainable economic growth.

🎧 Listen now on the BIT podcast: bit.ly/4kB9eQc

Using behavioural science to address maternal and infant malnutrition in Tajikistan | BIT Breastfeeding within an hour of birth, eating nutritious meals during pregnancy and lactation, and feeding children over six months a diverse, nutrient-rich diet are globally recommended practices for...

🇹🇯 Behavioural science to address malnutrition

UNICEF Tajikistan partnered with BIT to develop a social and behaviour change strategy to help mothers adopt recommended breastfeeding and dietary practices.

See our solutions and messaging👇 bit.ly/45IaUTo

Young people’s gambling-related experience during major sports events: A Euro 2024 diary-study | BIT Major sports events are a popular source of entertainment and social connection for young people in the UK. Gambling has become an increasingly prominent feature of these events, driven by media cover...

⚽ What are young people's gambling-related experiences during major sports events?

During Euro 2024, BIT partnered with young people to explore how gambling impacts their tournament experience and what influences their behaviour.

Here's what we found: bit.ly/3ZGCBbs

How do friendships affect social mobility. I wrote in @financialtimes.com about research from BIT colleagues replicating Raj Chetty's US work analysing facebook data. Perhaps the department with communities in its name can run trials on cross-class interaction, and reducing 'friending bias'.

📣 New event: Science, psychedelics, and society

Join Nesta’s @raviguru.bsky.social and @ikhan.bsky.social‬, former Exec Director of the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, as they unpack the science, politics & future of psychedelics.

Register now: bit.ly/43BgwNP

How is AI being used to create new ways to apply behavioural science? | BIT Recorded at the Behavioural Exchange conference #BX2025 in Abu Dhabi, Michael Hallsworth, BIT’s Chief Behavioural Scientist, explores how is AI being used to create new ways to apply behavioural scien...

🎧 New podcast: How is AI creating new ways to apply behavioural science?

Recorded live at #BX2025, @mhallsworth.bsky.social explores the next frontier of the field with some of its most innovative practitioners.

🎙️ Listen here: bit.ly/4mkfbmd

New paper: Fixing the Holes in Economics

Ahead of BIT’s inaugural President’s Lecture, David Halpern explores how behavioural and institutional insights are challenging economic models - and how this could reshape policymaking.

Read the full paper: bit.ly/430ireS

How can funders strengthen anti-corruption efforts in Nigeria? | BIT BIT ran a capacity-building program to help MacArthur Foundation grantees learn behavioural science and human-centred design skills so they could better combat corruption

New case study: combatting corruption in Nigeria ⚖️

BIT, @macfound.org and Griot Studios trained 40+ Nigerian orgs in behavioural science and user testing to enhance anti-corruption efforts.

Read the case study 👇 bit.ly/4j8q8Ez

Why Simplicity Can Be Strength in a Complex World - by Michael Hallsworth - Behavioral Scientist As intuitive as it seems, a complicated approach to behavioral design may not be the best response to complexity.

As intuitive as it seems, creating a complicated approach may not be the best response to complexity.

@mhallsworth.bsky.social writes about the value of simplicity in applied behavioural science - in a world wrestling with personalisation, generative AI and complex adaptive systems 👇 bit.ly/4j2joIn

Differing terminology used to describe antimicrobial resistance can influence comprehension and subsequent behavioural intent - Communications Medicine Grailey et al. investigate the impact of different terminologies used to describe AMR, testing terms co-designed with the public. Terminology that is familiar, such as the inclusion of ‘antibiotics’ c...

🚨New paper in Nature: Clearer language boosts public understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

In a trial with 4,000+ UK adults, phrases like 'antibiotic resistance' and 'antibiotic crisis' outperformed technical terms–improving understanding and intent to act.

🔗 go.nature.com/3YmM4nY

How can behavioural insights boost malaria vaccine uptake? | BIT Behavioural science has extraordinary potential to supercharge malaria vaccine rollouts currently underway across Sub-Saharan Africa.  Almost 20 countries across the African continent are embarking on...

Malaria vaccines could save millions of lives across Sub-Saharan Africa – but rollout success depends on more than supply. Uptake is key.

At BIT, we’ve used behavioural science to boost vaccine uptake worldwide. For #WorldImmunizationWeek, we explore how it can help here too: bit.ly/4lQaoII

Behavioural science and rigour at the last mile of aid | BIT A mother takes their child for their immunisations. After vaccine funds were suddenly cut, it has taken months to get the supply over the border, transport it over to their region, distribute it over the clinics and reappoint dismissed community health workers. The mother gets there but she has lost the child’s vaccination card. Her […]

💉For #WorldImmunizationWeek BIT's @mowills.bsky.social shares why the last mile of vaccine delivery matters more than ever.

At BIT, we use behavioural science to help partners boost uptake and impact. Read how we can make every dose count ⬇️ bit.ly/3RzzrSG

Public services face mounting pressures and public finances are constrained. Test and learn is critical for the government to cost-effectively deliver on its missions. helping to navigate the uncertainties of addressing complex problems and accelerate the delivery of impactful solutions.

The UK government already has many of the building blocks required to work in a test and learn way - including the joint Cabinet Office-Treasury Evaluation Task Force, a £100m reform fund and essential skills. But embedding it at scale will require changes to how government works.

In conventional government policymaking and delivery, most of the big choices are made at the beginning of a programme. A test and learn approach would see policies, programmes and services adapt and evolve based on early and ongoing data and evidence.

Test and learn: a playbook for mission-driven government | BIT The UK government has pledged to deliver bold new missions – ambitious, long-term commitments to tackle critical societal challenges. These promises will resonate strongly with many public servants wh...

The UK govt needs to adopt a different way of working to achieve its bold new missions.

Policies need to be reviewed and improved via a test and learn approach.

BIT + @nestauk.bsky.social new playbook explains this approach and how it can deliver impactful solutions 👇 www.bi.team/publications...

Join us for the next event in our series with @bitglobal.bsky.social: how to make good things happen 📍

We're looking to Little Scandanavia - a US prison unit harnessing Scandinavian practices to reduce re-offending.

Hear from those who led the scheme and gather insights for the UK. bit.ly/42OYXZp

How can we increase vaccine uptake with a behaviourally-informed chatbot in Argentina? | BIT BIT and local partners designed and evaluated a pre-programmed chatbot that tripled Covid-19 vaccination rates compared to the status quo

New case study: tripling vaccination uptake 💉

BIT and the government of Argentina developed an interactive WhatsApp chatbot to encourage Covid-19 boosters that led to:

🔹 3x vaccination rates
🔹 1,700+ more doses in 4 weeks

Read the case study 👇 bit.ly/4igocJK

Group Media Officer This role will help build the profile of Nesta and BIT in the media, across news, features, comment and podcasts, and among relevant policy and specialist influencers

I'm hiring 📢

We want a Group Media Officer to join the award-winning comms team for @nestauk.bsky.social and @bitglobal.bsky.social. Looking for someone with experience in a busy press office.

If you are interested or know someone who would be, do share or apply! www.nesta.org.uk/jobs/group-m...

New BIT study with @alcoholchangeuk.bsky.social links ‘low risk’ drinking to higher rates of heart disease, cancer, poor sleep, reduced functioning, and dental issues: alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/the-mes...

🚀 Upcoming event

Join BIT’s founder Professor David Halpern, as he shares the top 10 behavioural interventions he believes could transform the world.

Chaired by @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social expect bold ideas and an exploration of the future of applied behavioural science.

Register: bit.ly/43DIkSu

Big shifts for behavioural science: boosting participation | BIT This is the fourth and final piece in our series explaining the four big shifts in behavioural science that BIT is aiming to achieve. In this series, I’ve explored how behavioural science must evolve ...

🗣️ Make behavioural science participatory

Too often, experts design interventions for people, not with them. But participation - through consultation, co-design & co-creation - drives better outcomes.

@mhallsworth.bsky.social explores why this matters in our final Big Shifts piece: bit.ly/3QZHo3g

New UK study by @bitglobal.bsky.social+ partners reveals that friendships across socioeconomic lines have a strong relationship with future earnings and social mobility: bit.ly/4hGBQp6

Nesta Group CEO @raviguru.bsky.social dives into the data in his latest Substack ⬇️

How behavioral science can help create a US sports betting market that works for everyone | BIT Since the federal ban on sports betting was overturned seven years ago, the industry has exploded. Across the 38 states where betting is now legal, more than $145 billion was wagered in 2024 and $1.8 ...

How can behavioral science help regulate US sports betting? 🏀

BIT's experts view sports betting as a consumer issue through the lens of behavioral science, raising fresh questions for regulators.

A must-read this March Madness: www.bi.team/comment/how-...

Image of Catherine Dennison and the quote these findings can inform policies aimed at increasing social mobility with taking part in hobbies and sports and attending university all ways to encourage friendships across income groups.

📣 New research on six billion UK friendships highlights the link between social capital & social mobility.

A major study shows that children who grow up in areas with a greater mix of income levels earn around an extra £5,000 per year as adults.

Read more 👇
ow.ly/RweJ50VncN3

Social capital in the United Kingdom: evidence from six billion friendships | BIT Social capital – the network of personal and group-based relationships in a society – has long been thought to be an important factor in shaping economic opportunity. In the United States, Chetty et a...

New UK study reveals that friendships across socioeconomic lines have a strong relationship with future earnings and social mobility.

Children who grow up in areas with mixing between income groups earn around £5,000 more per year as adults. www.bi.team/publications...