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Reading this article, it is good that the UK COVID policy wasn't based on behavioural nudging /sarcasm. The UK COVID policy heavily relied on this and one of th

Reading this article, it is good that the UK COVID policy wasn't based on behavioural nudging /sarcasm. The UK COVID policy heavily relied on this and one of the unwanted side effects was scaring a certain section of the population into submission. Although that may have been effective during COVID, it made it a lot harder for that segment of society to return back to normal.

themitigating 4y ago
For what purpose?
gsatic 4y ago
If they can be nugdged one way why not the other?
renewiltord 4y ago
Wait, you're arguing that it does have an effect but the effect direction is unpredictable. As an example to differentiate: drinking a homeopathic solution for health has no effect; driving a radium solution for health hurts.
lozenge 4y ago
Isn't locking down the obvious departure from a "nudge policy"? I've seen the claim a lot but it all goes back to documents like this one which discusses strategies for communicating to increase compliance with lockdowns. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/882722/25-options-for-increasing-adherence-to-social-distancing-measures-22032020.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/... Yes, the UK government received such shocking insights as "Messaging needs to emphasise and explain the duty to protect others", and "Messaging about actions need to be framed positively in terms of protecting oneself and the community, and increase confidence that they will be effective". Of course, the government did pick and choose what to follow, so it would be absurd to say the entire COVID policy was "based on behavioural nudging". The UK's adherence to isolating after positive tests was thought to be one of the lowest of any country. When SPI-B pointed out that financial support would increase adherence to isolating, no reaction from the government. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/government-support-self-isolate https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/government-su...
- oxfordmale 4y ago
  There are articles like this: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/why-is-the-government-relying-on-nudge-theory-to-tackle-coronavirus https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/why-is... Or from the other side of the political spectrum: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/28/grossly-unethical-downing-street-nudge-unit-accused-scaring/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/28/grossly-unet...
  - lozenge 4y ago
    The first one is from before the first lockdown. The strategy was completely replaced when lockdown happened. It was unrecognisable from then on. The second one is about "deploying fear, shame and scapegoating" which the document I linked specifically calls out as a communication strategy with more downsides than any of the others they mentioned. However, Priti Patel just can't resist such activities.
asdff 4y ago
At this point seeing mask usage e.g. outdoors on a hiking trail is a little disturbing, because at this point people are thinking they are fighting the good fight but are now on the other side of the evidence (which says you are pretty safe outdoors or in a big room or while merely interacting briefly in passing with people, as one does with strangers in public). I wonder what the messaging will be given that this supposedly "scientifically minded" mask wearing subset of the population is no longer listening to the science. I hope this doesn't lead to weakened immunity overall in the population. If you wear a mask every time you go out into the world, that doesn't give you much of a chance to build up acquired immunity to all the other bugs that are out there. There are stories from the early 1900s of native americans coming out of the woods and joining western society. They of course have spent decades in isolation versus just two years, but that's enough for them to end up perennially sick and in poor health when they were actually integrated into western society, and eventually die young of common disease. A lack of acquired immunity is what killed Ishi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi

themitigating 4y ago

For what purpose?

gsatic 4y ago

If they can be nugdged one way why not the other?

renewiltord 4y ago

Wait, you're arguing that it does have an effect but the effect direction is unpredictable. As an example to differentiate: drinking a homeopathic solution for health has no effect; driving a radium solution for health hurts.

lozenge 4y ago

Isn't locking down the obvious departure from a "nudge policy"? I've seen the claim a lot but it all goes back to documents like this one which discusses strategies for communicating to increase compliance with lockdowns. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/882722/25-options-for-increasing-adherence-to-social-distancing-measures-22032020.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/... Yes, the UK government received such shocking insights as "Messaging needs to emphasise and explain the duty to protect others", and "Messaging about actions need to be framed positively in terms of protecting oneself and the community, and increase confidence that they will be effective". Of course, the government did pick and choose what to follow, so it would be absurd to say the entire COVID policy was "based on behavioural nudging". The UK's adherence to isolating after positive tests was thought to be one of the lowest of any country. When SPI-B pointed out that financial support would increase adherence to isolating, no reaction from the government. https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/government-support-self-isolate https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/blog/government-su...

oxfordmale 4y ago
There are articles like this: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/why-is-the-government-relying-on-nudge-theory-to-tackle-coronavirus https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/13/why-is... Or from the other side of the political spectrum: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/28/grossly-unethical-downing-street-nudge-unit-accused-scaring/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/01/28/grossly-unet...
- lozenge 4y ago
  The first one is from before the first lockdown. The strategy was completely replaced when lockdown happened. It was unrecognisable from then on. The second one is about "deploying fear, shame and scapegoating" which the document I linked specifically calls out as a communication strategy with more downsides than any of the others they mentioned. However, Priti Patel just can't resist such activities.

asdff 4y ago

At this point seeing mask usage e.g. outdoors on a hiking trail is a little disturbing, because at this point people are thinking they are fighting the good fight but are now on the other side of the evidence (which says you are pretty safe outdoors or in a big room or while merely interacting briefly in passing with people, as one does with strangers in public). I wonder what the messaging will be given that this supposedly "scientifically minded" mask wearing subset of the population is no longer listening to the science. I hope this doesn't lead to weakened immunity overall in the population. If you wear a mask every time you go out into the world, that doesn't give you much of a chance to build up acquired immunity to all the other bugs that are out there. There are stories from the early 1900s of native americans coming out of the woods and joining western society. They of course have spent decades in isolation versus just two years, but that's enough for them to end up perennially sick and in poor health when they were actually integrated into western society, and eventually die young of common disease. A lack of acquired immunity is what killed Ishi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishi