Long-Term Behavioral Change in Health and Sustainability
About
For a Change is a behavioral research lab at the Federmann School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, led by Prof. Eyal Pe’er.
Working in collaboration with partners from government, local authorities, NGOs, and academia, we investigate why people often struggle to adopt and maintain healthier and more sustainable behaviors, such as healthy eating, physical activity, smoking cessation, the use of reusable products, and the adoption of renewable energy.
We draw on behavioral sciences to develop, test, and implement interventions that reshape the choice architecture and nudge people toward choices and decisions that benefit both themselves and society as a whole.
We believe that effective interventions cannot take a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, they must be tailored to different individuals and contexts. To achieve this, we develop adaptive models of person–intervention fit that identify which interventions work best, for whom, and under what circumstances, maximizing their effectiveness and real-world impact.
Current Research Projects
Nudge2Quit: Personalized Nudges for Smoking Cessation
About half of the people who join smoking-cessation quitlines drop out before they finish. We are testing whether personalized and adaptive nudges can keep them engaged and increase rates of adherence, contributing to the potential success of the smoking cessation treatment.
Reducing Single-Use Plastic Consumption
Israel's use of disposable tableware is very high. Information campaigns have had limited effect. We are developing and testing behavioral interventions focused on reducing disposable use in workplaces and at coffee shops, to encourage a lasting switch to reusable alternatives.
Healthy Eating and Less Food Waste in Daycare Centers
About 40% of the food served in after-school daycare programs is thrown away. Together with the Ministry of Health Department of Nutrition, we are exploring the behavioral and modifiable factors that affect waste at different stages. Also, together with several municipalities we are developing behavioral interventions for the daycare staff to help them encourage children to eat better and waste less.
An Urban Healthy Consumption Index
With the Ministry of Health and a large retail data company, we are building a city-level index of healthy food consumption. It is based on actual supermarket purchase data linked to municipal health outcomes. The results will appear in an interactive dashboard that local authorities can use to plan and prioritize health interventions.
Increasing Adoption of Residential Solar Panels
Israel gets plenty of sunshine, but few homeowners install rooftop solar panels. We are mapping the psychological and behavioral barriers across different groups in the population. We will then design and test interventions tailored to each group to maximize adoption rate of installing solar panels.
Partners and Supporters
