Evaluating the Routes to Promoting Social Distancing
Social Distancing
Will we manage to keep precautionary behaviors as permanent rituals?
Considering the times we are in right now, we should be prepared to encounter something even as fictional as the dinosaurs. However, an undeniable aspect of that preparation is to adapt ourselves to the change and maintain it. With no visible cure and vaccine for COVID-19 in the near future, the question is, will we manage to maintain the precautionary behaviors like social distancing and hand hygiene as a permanent ritual?
To make any behavior long-lasting, it must become automatic, on the auto-pilot mode and not require much cognitive effort. Especially, during a period of cognitive overload that we are in during this pandemic, our decision making process should be easy and quick. With the looming uncertainty and drastic change in lifestyle, the novelty and excitement of compliance with the new behaviors is fizzing out. The obsessive and repetitive hand-washing, cleaning of surfaces and strict social distancing that were present during the early days of this pandemic is now being shown the door.
Here is where “nudging ” enters. This concept was popularized by, Nobel prize laureate Richard Thaler and Holberg Prize winner Cass Sunstein. “Nudging”, as the name suggests, it can be likened to a gentle push, to steer towards the right decisions, without restricting any choices. It involves using techniques and tools to design a choice environment which motivates and leads people to better outcomes. So how can it be used to maintain the behaviors according to the COVID-19 guidelines?
Firstly, compulsions and forceful measures are going to do greater harm than good. People negatively react to fines and legal repercussions of not following rules. Hence, this technique in isolation is ineffective in the long-run. In this scenario, nudging can serve as a useful measure to promote certain desired behaviors.
To make nudging effective and efficient, the acronym EAST can be used as a framework, according to the Behavioral Insights Team, UK:
E - The desired behavior, should be Easy to do, shouldn’t be burdensome and people should know how to do it. In our case, maintaining hand hygiene can be made easy by installing sanitizer dispensers, wash basins in public areas and using innovative tutorials like handwashing dances or singing the “ Happy birthday song” for 2 minutes while cleansing the hands. Social distancing can be made easy by marking spots, maintaining the required distance , limiting the number of people present at a given time in restaurants or shopping complexes.
A - If the message to follow a certain behavior is made Attractive and vivid, it is more likely to draw attention and be followed by people. Powerful and persuasive messages that evoke emotions like joy, surprise and fascination can be used as a tool to increase compliance. Messages that are easy to visualize are more likely to be enacted and remembered. For instance, the tasks assigned by Prime MInister Narendra Modi, to clap and light candles, did not serve to curtail the spread of coronavirus, however, it attracted attention and served as a reminder for the solidarity required to win this battle.
S - “Man is a social animal”, comes very handy while creating nudges. Social norms are strong drivers of behavior. The panic buying and hoarding seen during the initial days of the outbreak was an uninvited result of imitating behaviors of people around us.
Thus, this power of social norms can be harnessed to facilitate behaviors like wearing masks, following hand hygiene and even, contributing towards charity. Publicizing adherence to physical distancing and mask wearing will be a motivator for others to comply as well. Celebrities have been roped in by governments to be a face for these messages, reiterating the social norms.
T - Finally, if the messages are delayed or provided prior to the decision making scenario can be ineffective. Delivering reminders or cues at the point of action when decisions are made, while exiting the house (reminder to wear a mask), entering a public place( to maintain distance) is maximally effective.
It would be unfair, however, to ignore the other side of the story.
Nudges, irrespective of whether they evoke emotions or promote behaviors on an automatic level, are not sufficient to stimulate and maintain the required behavior change, after the lockdown is lifted, and people are literally let out of the cages! The flouting of social distancing was at its peak when the liquor shops opened in India, creating chaos and mocking all the efforts taken to maintain social distancing.
Also, with the unlocking process of lockdown, beginning in India, various instances of non-adherence to social distancing were reported from all across the country. The long and crowded queues for public transport, flocks of a huge number of people taking to the roads and parks for jogging and walking, not being mindful of social distancing, is certainly a signal for the requirement of more effective mechanisms to maintain social distancing. The need for more substantial policies and introducing inventive ways of functioning combined with nudging, possibly will be the roadmap for maintaining the behaviors required for combating with Covid-19.
Jonathan Kimmelman, director of the Biomedical Ethics Unit at McGill University in Montreal recommends invoking the idea of “social solidarity”, wherein, although individuals may be confident of withstanding the infection, they take the necessary precautions for avoiding the spread to other more vulnerable populations.
Further, more prudent ways of functioning should be followed, like choosing to go for jogs and walks at non-peak hours, maintaining a certain number of people at a given time in shopping malls and grocery stores. Urban design must be evolved and planning of slum redevelopment should be implemented, keeping in mind the requirements for social distancing.
The vast populous nature of India's demography impedes the implementation of social distancing. However, a clever and effective interplay of strong policy measures and individual efforts will pave the road for success.
Written by: Krishleen Kaur Kohli