ADAPT fellowship: smart approaches to influencing sustainable behaviour change
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Institute for Transport Studies
Abstract
This EPSRC/LWEC Challenge Fellowship addresses the question "How can our cities, their hinterlands, linking infrastructure, rural surround and the regions they are in, be transformed to be resilient, sustainable, more economically viable and generally better places to live?". By 2050 it is probable that 80% of the world's population will live in urban centres, and as transport is a very significant contributor to global carbon emissions, as well as road congestion and urban air quality problems, it is important that everyone is encouraged to rethink their personal mobility behaviour.
It is particularly important to encourage people to reduce urban car travel. However, increasingly our daily travel is also disrupted by weather as environmental changes are impacting on climatic patterns. Managing transport infrastructure affected by flooding, wind and extreme temperatures means that operators and authorities need to reduce demand on the network at such times for safety reasons. Messaging requirements are different between normal and emergency situations but the experience of disruption can also enable us to change our habitual behaviours.
I investigate how to influence people to take voluntary action for mitigating and adapting to environmental change. My research combines computing science (persuasive technologies, human computer interaction and argumentation theory) with transport studies (geography, statistics, social science) to promote voluntary travel behaviour change to support adapting to and mitigating environmental change.
I will explore and develop persuasive but ethical argumentation-based tools for supporting individual behaviour change for sustainable transport through the flow of information directed to the travelling public, in both normal and emergency situations, using available technologies such as Smartphones, web applications, customer information screens and variable message signs.
Using persuasive technologies to influence behaviour change is an emerging area for transport research, though it is well established in other fields such as healthcare. There is growing interest in applying a practical argumentation approach to behaviour change, as it is self-evident that theories of behaviour change and persuasion (which underpin many existing behaviour change interventions, in transport, environment, energy and health, both on and off line) involve making use of arguments.
As a result of this work there will be new ways to communicate persuasive arguments and solutions for making large and small changes to the way we travel. We will then be able to make decisions about our daily transport needs with confidence, knowing that we have the best information about the consequences for ourselves and for wider society.
For example, improved information and more effective arguments may help more car drivers to have the confidence to use Park & Ride and Rail Parkway Stations to access urban centres. This will be of practical value in reducing road congestion and urban air pollution.
It is particularly important to encourage people to reduce urban car travel. However, increasingly our daily travel is also disrupted by weather as environmental changes are impacting on climatic patterns. Managing transport infrastructure affected by flooding, wind and extreme temperatures means that operators and authorities need to reduce demand on the network at such times for safety reasons. Messaging requirements are different between normal and emergency situations but the experience of disruption can also enable us to change our habitual behaviours.
I investigate how to influence people to take voluntary action for mitigating and adapting to environmental change. My research combines computing science (persuasive technologies, human computer interaction and argumentation theory) with transport studies (geography, statistics, social science) to promote voluntary travel behaviour change to support adapting to and mitigating environmental change.
I will explore and develop persuasive but ethical argumentation-based tools for supporting individual behaviour change for sustainable transport through the flow of information directed to the travelling public, in both normal and emergency situations, using available technologies such as Smartphones, web applications, customer information screens and variable message signs.
Using persuasive technologies to influence behaviour change is an emerging area for transport research, though it is well established in other fields such as healthcare. There is growing interest in applying a practical argumentation approach to behaviour change, as it is self-evident that theories of behaviour change and persuasion (which underpin many existing behaviour change interventions, in transport, environment, energy and health, both on and off line) involve making use of arguments.
As a result of this work there will be new ways to communicate persuasive arguments and solutions for making large and small changes to the way we travel. We will then be able to make decisions about our daily transport needs with confidence, knowing that we have the best information about the consequences for ourselves and for wider society.
For example, improved information and more effective arguments may help more car drivers to have the confidence to use Park & Ride and Rail Parkway Stations to access urban centres. This will be of practical value in reducing road congestion and urban air pollution.
Planned Impact
INDUSTRY, POLICY AND PRACTICE COMMUNITIES
The research will generate novel algorithms for use in travel planning and transport behaviour ICT. Letters of Support have been supplied by ATOC, Cleanweb UK, Department for Transport, Ecolane Ltd, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Transport Systems Catapult and TravelAi Ltd. The seven Project Partners have indicated high levels of commitment to engage with the research by offering in-kind support. This support ranges from hosting knowledge exchange activities, co-development of research, providing advice (including through the Advisory Board), access to stakeholders, access to data and user groups and potential to trial or prototype applications and best practice guidance.
As shown by the Letters of Support from DfT and SEPA, policy and practice communities will benefit from the insights into effective behaviour change interventions that will be developed. Creating practical outputs for policy and practice communities is an explicit objective of the programme. Stakeholder liaison with this community (transport and travel behaviour change in particular) is embedded in the methodology, and it is anticipated that there will be a significant advance in knowledge of how to construct effective behaviour change interventions. For example, scoping discussions with travel behaviour change professionals (the North East Scotland Transport partnership (NESTRANS) GETABOUT manager and a former First Group sustainability director) indicated that many local authority travel behaviour change teams have to generate their own web-site content or use marketing agencies, and content creation is currently more of a craft than a science, with limited understanding of which elements are genuinely effective, as most measures are delivered in packages of soft and hard policy interventions. CleanwebUK offers the opportunity to become engaged with their network of web developers through their Meet-ups and Hackdays and TSC can provide access to a large network in transport ICT. Having ATOC, Ecolane Ltd and TravelAi Ltd as Project Partners offers a more direct route to knowledge transfer.
The Institute for Transport Studies also has a West Yorkshire Transport Innovation Fund partnership with the Combined Authority where both organisations have pledged £100k over three years to develop joint research and to ensure deployment of state of art insights. My proposal will be able to take advantage of this agreement to leverage impact from my Fellowship.
GENERAL PUBLIC
The research approach embeds public engagement with the issue of transport behaviour change as well as issues relating to the acceptability of persuasive technologies in the methodological process from the outset. The research team will also facilitate two-way engagement with the general public through structured participation in public science events (large events such as the Leeds Festival of Science held as part of British Science Week and small, such as public engagement outreach events such as Pechakucha or Café Scientifique or even Code the City hackathons) reaching out to all demographics. This will contribute to raising public understanding of the science involved in transport ICT, persuasive technology and argumentation.
SUMMARY OF PATHWAYS TO IMPACT
Stakeholder liaison, knowledge exchange and public engagement activities are all described in the Case for Support. The staged nature of the research programme means there will be publicly reportable outputs from year one. Resources have been requested to support a sustainable level of participation in Knowledge Exchange and Public Engagement by the PI and RAs over the life of the project, utilising public science events, University of Leeds initiatives and through self-generated opportunities using public science and policy networks.
The research will generate novel algorithms for use in travel planning and transport behaviour ICT. Letters of Support have been supplied by ATOC, Cleanweb UK, Department for Transport, Ecolane Ltd, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Transport Systems Catapult and TravelAi Ltd. The seven Project Partners have indicated high levels of commitment to engage with the research by offering in-kind support. This support ranges from hosting knowledge exchange activities, co-development of research, providing advice (including through the Advisory Board), access to stakeholders, access to data and user groups and potential to trial or prototype applications and best practice guidance.
As shown by the Letters of Support from DfT and SEPA, policy and practice communities will benefit from the insights into effective behaviour change interventions that will be developed. Creating practical outputs for policy and practice communities is an explicit objective of the programme. Stakeholder liaison with this community (transport and travel behaviour change in particular) is embedded in the methodology, and it is anticipated that there will be a significant advance in knowledge of how to construct effective behaviour change interventions. For example, scoping discussions with travel behaviour change professionals (the North East Scotland Transport partnership (NESTRANS) GETABOUT manager and a former First Group sustainability director) indicated that many local authority travel behaviour change teams have to generate their own web-site content or use marketing agencies, and content creation is currently more of a craft than a science, with limited understanding of which elements are genuinely effective, as most measures are delivered in packages of soft and hard policy interventions. CleanwebUK offers the opportunity to become engaged with their network of web developers through their Meet-ups and Hackdays and TSC can provide access to a large network in transport ICT. Having ATOC, Ecolane Ltd and TravelAi Ltd as Project Partners offers a more direct route to knowledge transfer.
The Institute for Transport Studies also has a West Yorkshire Transport Innovation Fund partnership with the Combined Authority where both organisations have pledged £100k over three years to develop joint research and to ensure deployment of state of art insights. My proposal will be able to take advantage of this agreement to leverage impact from my Fellowship.
GENERAL PUBLIC
The research approach embeds public engagement with the issue of transport behaviour change as well as issues relating to the acceptability of persuasive technologies in the methodological process from the outset. The research team will also facilitate two-way engagement with the general public through structured participation in public science events (large events such as the Leeds Festival of Science held as part of British Science Week and small, such as public engagement outreach events such as Pechakucha or Café Scientifique or even Code the City hackathons) reaching out to all demographics. This will contribute to raising public understanding of the science involved in transport ICT, persuasive technology and argumentation.
SUMMARY OF PATHWAYS TO IMPACT
Stakeholder liaison, knowledge exchange and public engagement activities are all described in the Case for Support. The staged nature of the research programme means there will be publicly reportable outputs from year one. Resources have been requested to support a sustainable level of participation in Knowledge Exchange and Public Engagement by the PI and RAs over the life of the project, utilising public science events, University of Leeds initiatives and through self-generated opportunities using public science and policy networks.
Organisations
- University of Leeds (Fellow, Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN (Collaboration)
- Edinburgh Napier University (Collaboration)
- Rail Delivery Group (Project Partner)
- Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Project Partner)
- Department for Transport (Project Partner)
- Ecolane Ltd (Project Partner)
- Cleanweb UK (Project Partner)
- Transport Systems Catapult (Project Partner)
- TravelAI (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
People |
ORCID iD |
Katharine Pangbourne (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Pangbourne K
(2018)
Geographies of Transport and Ageing
Pangbourne K
(2018)
Governance of the Smart Mobility Transition
Pangbourne K
(2020)
Persuasion profiles to promote pedestrianism: Effective targeting of active travel messages
in Travel Behaviour and Society
Moscholidou I
(2020)
A preliminary assessment of regulatory efforts to steer smart mobility in London and Seattle
in Transport Policy
Mladenovic M
(2020)
Policy Implications of Autonomous Vehicles
Pangbourne K
(2020)
Questioning mobility as a service: Unanticipated implications for society and governance
in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
Pangbourne K
(2021)
International Encyclopedia of Transportation
Pangbourne K
(2021)
The Routledge Handbook of Public Transport
Description | Through empirical research we have discovered that personality traits appear to be more significant predictors of whether travel behaviour change messages will be persuasive or not. The findings are quite complex, and consequently we need to do more work to find out how best to advise travel behaviour change managers and designers. For example, personality traits influence which value should be argued for in a message (whether environmental, financial, health-related, convenience or community values), but the results vary quite considerably according to the travel mode being promoted. A PhD project has been completed that tested the perceived persuasiveness of messaging post covid and found that the results are broadly the same, despite the disruption. In 2022 we completed a field trial in the form of a randomized control trial. This appears to show that messaging has an objective effect on walking and cycling. Analysis continues but early findings have been presented that suggest that there is an effect that can be used in practical interventions. |
Exploitation Route | The findings from the RCT suggest that an emotional appeal rather than a factual appeal to health/cost/environment values may be most effective, but both are more effective than no messaging. The findings can be used in applications where direct messaging can be sent to individuals (e.g. via a health app, a travel app or via SMS messaging). The findings that we have so far are already guiding some travel behaviour change campaigns. For example, we know that on its on an appeal to convenience for cycling messages is not perceived as persuasive compared to a focus on health. The value of community may be more useful - we know that it is perceived as persuasive in messages that combine two values for walking, for example, but we have not yet tested whether it is perceived as persuasive in pro-cycling messages. We have evidence that personality traits are more in play than attitudes. |
Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Transport |
Description | Findings have been used collaboratively in a BetterPoints trial which has generated further knowledge regarding the effectiveness of messaging in influencing walking and cycling behaviour |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Transport |
Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
Description | Board Member of Scottish Rural and Islands Transport Community |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Funding for PhD on personality trait and travel attitude segmentation |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | Funding for PhD on travel behaviour change |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Description | Scottish Parliament Cross-party Sustainable Renewal Advisory Group |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Scottish Parliament Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee Event |
Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaONv2EJ0wM&t=17s |
Description | Transport Scotland NTS2 Strategic Framework Working Group |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
Description | Michael Beverley Innovation Fellowship |
Amount | £7,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Leeds |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2021 |
End | 12/2022 |
Title | Data for: Persuasion Profiles to Promote Pedestrianism: Effective targeting of active travel messages |
Description | Results from a survey to determine relative persuasive power of different elements of messages to encourage walking, and the effect of individual psychosocial, demographic and other features of the participants on the perceived persuasiveness of those messages. File contains cleaned data - raw data available on request. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/xzt6vf68bf |
Title | Data for: Persuasion Profiles to Promote Pedestrianism: Effective targeting of active travel messages |
Description | Results from a survey to determine relative persuasive power of different elements of messages to encourage walking, and the effect of individual psychosocial, demographic and other features of the participants on the perceived persuasiveness of those messages. File contains cleaned data - raw data available on request. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://data.mendeley.com/datasets/xzt6vf68bf/1 |
Description | Collaborative work with Dr Simon Wells (Edinburgh Napier) on argumentation for behaviour change |
Organisation | Edinburgh Napier University |
Department | School of Computing |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Pangbourne and Wells are working together on aspects relevant to Work Package 1 of the ADAPT fellowship work programme where we share common interests. |
Collaborator Contribution | Pangbourne and Wells are working together on aspects relevant to Work Package 1 of the ADAPT fellowship work programme where we share common interests. Wells (Edinburgh Napier) initiated discussion on a submission to the European Conference on Argumentation. This crystallised into an abstract which was accepted as a poster. The conference is in June 2017. |
Impact | An abstract has been accepted as a poster for the 2nd European Conference on Argumentation. It is multi-disciplinary: computing science and transport studies. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Collaborative work with Professor Judith Masthoff on WP2 of ADAPT fellowship workprogramme |
Organisation | University of Aberdeen |
Department | Institute of Medical Sciences |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Pangbourne and Masthoff are working together on stated preference experiments in relation to WP2 of the ADAPT Fellowship work programme. Pangbourne works on the scenarios, use case, message construction and participant segmentation aspects. |
Collaborator Contribution | Pangbourne and Masthoff are working together on stated preference experiments in relation to WP2 of the ADAPT Fellowship work programme. Masthoff works on the coding and algorithmic aspects. |
Impact | The first experiment of this collaboration is still under development. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Guest Lecture (UCL) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited to give a guest lecture to students on the Masters in Behaviour Change at UCL. There were 11 attendees, and the lecture and activity was incorporated within their curriculum. The lecture focused on the ADAPT project approach to travel behaviour change and elements of research design to help them with their dissertation design. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | International visit: Australia; seminar one |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | An invited seminar on the findings of the ADAPT project was given at the Institute for Transport and Logistics Studies at the University of Sydney, Australia. There were around 20 people in the room and a further 40 online. There was substantial Q&A/discussion afterwards, and a meeting with Transport for New South Wales. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://business.sydney.edu.au/events/research/2023/itls/leadership-and-policy/kate-pangbourne |
Description | International visit: Australia; seminar two |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk on ADAPT findings given to the Institute of Transport Studies, University of Monash, Melbourne Australia. About 20-25 people attended with a vigorous Q&A discussion. Attendance also by the Behaviourworks group at the university |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Invited seminar (Manchester) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Invited to give a seminar at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, as part of their seminar series for the 2016/17 academic year (23rd March 2017). The audience was a mix of third sector cycling advocacy groups, transport practitioners, academics, students (UG and PG) and interested members of the public who are on the distribution list for the Tyndall Centre. There were between 50 and 60 attendees. There was a vibrant discussion after the presentation, with one or two conversations continuing privately afterwards. The talk was entitled Travel behaviour change and climate change: communicating better and focused on describing the premise for the ADAPT project and possible outcomes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Presentation to Modeshift Convention 2023 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation of ADAPT final experiment findings. "Does persuasive messaging increase active travel?" Co-presented with Hannah McCarthy from BetterPoints Ltd Many questions and subsequent discussion about the benefits of messaging to increase active travel, particularly walking, but also cycling. Audience of around 100 in the room, and more conversations at the conference. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Presenting panel member on GOverning Hype at the 2023 World Conference of the Transport Research Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | more than 50 people attended my talk on governing MaaS hype as a panellist on a session on Governing Hype at the WCTRS Conference 2023 in Montreal, Canada. Questions and discussion and further contacts after the conference. Influencing the debate around whether or not MaaS is a serious innovation for sustainable transport. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Public Lecture (York) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Invited lecture to the Yorkshire and District Geographical Association/Royal Geographical Society regional branch, on the possible impacts of autonomous vehicles. 54 people attended the lecture at Bootham School in York, with non-members paying a small entry fee to the organisers. Many of the audience were VIth form A-level geography students, there was vigorous discussion afterwards, and one onward contact from an A level student investigating autonomous vehicles for his Extended Project Qualification. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Seminar (University of Exeter) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | A seminar to present the early stages of the ADAPT fellowship work on travel behaviour change communication was given to the Geography Department of the University of Exeter, by invitation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |