Behavioural Science and the Pandemic
Analysis20 Juli 2020

Behavioural Science and the Pandemic

There were two narratives that emerged in the week before we locked down on 23rd March that could go some way to explaining why the UK was relatively slow to lockdown. One was the idea of “herd immunity” - that the virus was always going to spread throughout the population to some extent, and that should be allowed to happen to build up immunity.

That theory may have been based on a misunderstanding of how this particular virus behaved.

The second narrative was based on the idea of “behavioural fatigue”. This centred around the notion that the public will only tolerate a lockdown for so long so it was crucial to wait for the right moment to initiate it. Go too soon, and you might find that people would not comply later on.

It turns out that this theory was also wrong. And based on a fundamental misunderstanding of human behaviour.

Despite photos of packed parks, crammed beaches and VE day conga lines, on the whole the British public complied beyond most people’s expectations.

So what informed the government’s decision making?In this programme we ask, what is “behavioural fatigue”, where did it come from, how much influence did it have on the UK’s late lockdown, and where does Nudge theory fit into the narrative?

Presenter: Sonia Sodha Producer: Gemma Newby Editor: Jasper Corbett

Avsnitt(389)

The Rise and Fall of the Bond Market Traders

The Rise and Fall of the Bond Market Traders

In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher famously said that 'You can’t buck the markets' and Governments back then feared that, if they borrowed too much, they'd pay a terrible price in the markets in terms of...

19 Okt 202028min

Trouble on the backbenches? Tory Leaders and their MPs

Trouble on the backbenches? Tory Leaders and their MPs

Despite winning a large majority at the last election, Prime Minister Johnson’s relationship with his party is an uneasy one. Just a few months after achieving its long term aim of leaving the EU, th...

12 Okt 202028min

Planning for the Worst

Planning for the Worst

How ready are we for the next pandemic, cyber attack, volcanic eruption, or solar storm?Our world, ever more interconnected and dependent on technology, is vulnerable to a head-spinning array of disas...

5 Okt 202028min

Is the Internet Broken?

Is the Internet Broken?

The internet is a cornerstone of our society. It is vital to our economy, to our global communications, and to many of our personal and professional lives. But have the processes that govern how the i...

28 Sep 202028min

Humans vs the Planet

Humans vs the Planet

As Covid-19 forced humans into lockdown, memes emerged showing the earth was healing thanks to our absence. These were false claims – but their popularity revealed how seductive the dangerous idea tha...

13 Juli 202028min

Thinking for the Long Term

Thinking for the Long Term

"The origin of civil government," wrote the Scottish philosopher David Hume in 1739, is that "men are not able radically to cure, either in themselves or others, that narrowness of soul, which makes t...

6 Juli 202028min

The Post-Pandemic State

The Post-Pandemic State

Government intervention on an unprecedented scale has propped up the British economy - and society at large - during the pandemic. But what should be the state's role from now on? Can Conservatives su...

29 Juni 202028min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
motiv
p3-krim
fordomspodden
rss-viva-fotboll
flashback-forever
spar
svenska-fall
aftonbladet-daily
svd-dokumentara-berattelser-2
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-krimstad
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-krimreportrarna
krimmagasinet
rss-frandfors-horna
olyckan-inifran
dagens-eko
rss-aftonbladet-krim
svd-ledarredaktionen