#20: And the winner is…

Adding an extra dose of behavioral science to your week with our series In a Nutshell— a collection of behavioral science principles, explained in 150 words or less, written weekly by CUBIC director Allison Zelkowitz.

Have you ever bought a lottery or raffle ticket?  I have. I enjoyed musing about what I’d do with the prize (until, inevitably, I lost!).

While they may not be wise investment strategies, lotteries can be surprisingly effective for encouraging positive behaviors because they can make an unappealing task more motivating (and people tend to focus more on the prize, rather than their chance of winning).

The Behavioural Insights Team has employed lotteries to increase voter registration, encourage mammogram scheduling, and promote timely tax payments.  When I was the Lebanon Country Director, we tested three behavioral interventions to encourage staff to complete an online training, and the lottery intervention was the most successful (and fun!).

So if you are trying to encourage a “one off” behavior, like attending a training or completing a survey, consider offering an attractive prize and a public drawing – it may be a gamble worth taking!