In the behavioural sciences, nudging is the process of manipulating people’s environments to influence their behaviour and decision-making. There’s a big debate surrounding it: does nudging actually work? Michael Hallsworth, who works for the Behavioural Insights Team, believes that the issue is too binary. While pro- and anti-nudgers recognise that nudging has a spectrum of effectiveness, many of them still boil the issue down to whether it works or not. Hallsworth thinks it would be more useful to look at the full range of effects of nudging. Read full article here
Research
Improving media literacy could boost trust towards the news, IMPRESS report suggests
The UK media is regulated by the likes of IPSO and Ofcom. The report by press regulator IMPRESS highlights the link between low levels of media literacy and trust in the news. The study found that three quarters of those who did not know if journalists were regulated did not trust the news. It suggests that improving media literacy is one way to stem the erosion of trust, and shows that audiences have an appetite for information on news processes. Stakeholders need to collaborate in order to rebuild trust in the news, and independent media is well placed to do this. Read full article here
Merv
February 1, 2023
