The Behavioural Drivers Model: A Conceptual Framework for Social and Behaviour Change Programming

"The thinking is simple: one must investigate a behaviour to understand why it is happening, and then try to figure out what may influence these drivers no matter what they are. This problem-solving mindset is the key to moving away from pre-conceived ideas and go-to communication interventions, and instead approach behaviour change as a holistic effort addressing all possible psychological, social and structural factors that the diagnosis puts forward. Start by assuming you know nothing, make no assumptions, and then study the behavior to crack the code."

Why do people do what they do? How can we influence it? These questions animate United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)'s Behavioral Drivers Model (BDM), which offers a common reference and language for the study and practice of social and behaviour change (SBC). Recent systematic reviews have shown that SBC interventions, from programming on preventing violence against children to measuring changes in social norms, lack consistent theoretical models. The present framework strives to fill this gap by providing a basic guideline that is easily adaptable to most behaviour change efforts. The BDM can be used as a basis to conduct participatory situational assessments, design and operationalise strategies and programmes, monitor the extent to which interventions are being implemented, and evaluate effectiveness and changes in behavioural and social outcomes. It is part of a larger effort to promote evidence-based programming and complement the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) that orients UNICEF's work to protect and promote children's and women's rights globally.

The document begins by presenting the goals and core ideas of the framework. The BDM incorporates the idea that the key to designing effective SBC programmes lies in an in-depth understanding of the elements that influence a person's decisions and actions. Traditional theories of behaviour change can be incomplete, focusing solely or primarily on individual behaviours. Conversely, other theories, including the SEM, account for broader social and structural dimensions that may act as enabling or constraining factors that directly or indirectly influence behaviours. However, these theories tend to lack an explanation of the specific mechanisms driving a behaviour, making the link between theory and selection of appropriate interventions far from obvious. The framework presented here incorporates the insights from each line of thinking and attempts to bring their conceptual building blocks together into a unified model. (Chapter 6 of the document offers an analysis of 25 perspectives, theories, and models that focus on decision-making and behaviour, aiming to identify the concepts and constructs that will constitute the drivers included in the BDM.)

Chapter 7 outlines the BDM, which articulates research and theories that already exist, bringing multiple perspectives together (transtheoretical model). The model considers behaviours to be the complex result of the influence of multiple determinants, in a socio-ecological approach. Prioritisation of constructs is left for the work on concrete behaviours in specific contexts, through localised formative research and testing. That is to say: The model remains a theoretical view that will likely never apply in full in a given situation or for a given behaviour. Formative research will always be necessary to identify which drivers are at play, understand which of these are the most influential, and try to find the real causality (if any) in the relationship between drivers.

The main behavioural factors on the BDM include (with each factor unpacked further, for a total of more than 130 possible drivers of behaviour - see pages 50-51):

• Psychology - cognitive biases, interest, attitude, self-efficacy, intent, limited rationality, personal characteristics
• Sociology - social influence, community dynamic, meta-norms, context
• Environment - communication environment, emerging alternatives, governing entities, structural barriers

Part III of the document looks at applications of the BDM for SBC programming. An applied logic underlying the use of the BDM focuses on evidence generation and use, and draws on a multi-phased approach. In the case of a programme with a specific behaviour or cluster of behaviours as its goal, along with related focus areas for intervention, the BDM will be used as the conceptual reference and starting point. Through qualitative formative research (e.g., community exercises and focus group sessions), the process will move from a generic list (all possible drivers of a behaviour according to theory) to a narrower list to establish and prioritise the relevant drivers in the particular context for this specific behaviour. Eliciting these drivers is key to making informed decisions for programming on the ground. In terms of monitoring and evaluation (M&E), the factors identified as the most important during the formative research will constitute the SBC outcomes, with the dimensions of those factors establishing shorter-term results or milestones.

As reported here, the BDM is being used as the conceptual anchoring for a series of formative research, quantitative surveys, and strategy development processes conducted by UNICEF country offices in various regions. It is also referred to during capacity-building efforts with several partners. The below diagram offers a depiction of a merge between the behavioural taxonomy that the BDM embodies and an intervention mapping process that extends from it. (It is, however, a simplification; the relationship between approaches and drivers is not as segregated.)

The feedback from these applications on the ground will allow for further assessment of: how well the BDM helps in structuring research and programmatic processes; how suitable it is for capturing, organising, and presenting results; and how well it performs as a single conceptual reference point throughout the SBC planning and implementation cycle. As a living tool, from this initial version onward, it will be refined and adapted through an incremental process of collaboration with partners around the world, informed by evidence- and learning-based discussions.

Click here for a related PowerPoint presentation in PDF format (UNICEF, May 2019), which explains the purpose of developing the BDM.