Can behavioural science help stop callers from hanging up?

Thousands of people ring the Ministry of Justice every week, but some abandon the call (hang up) before they reach an agent. With the aim of keeping callers on the line, Behavioural Science Aotearoa worked with the contact centre to develop three sets of hold messages designed to reduce caller abandonment. The messages are currently being trialled using a quasi-experimental ‘reversal’ design. The team take advantage of administrative call-level data to measure impact by applying survival analysis techniques.

Behavioural Science Aotearoa apply behavioural science across the Justice Sector to build more effective, people-centred justice services and policies that improve outcomes for all.

How do victims of crime interact with the government?

A large proportion of victimisation in New Zealand is unreported. Because of this, the Ministry of Justice has commissioned a series of surveys to understand the nature and prevalence of unreported victimisation. By linking this survey data to administrative datasets in the IDI it is possible to understand government service use for victims who do not necessarily report to the Police.

Increasing fine payments: A behavioural science approach

Over half a million New Zealanders owe fines to the Ministry of Justice, and total collections debt is around US$395m, or US$78 for every person in New Zealand. There are consequences for people who do not pay, as they can be hit with enforcement actions or may be summoned to Court. We used evidence from behavioural science to test new approaches to improve fines payment behaviour, using letters and text message reminders. Our results demonstrate that small tweaks to existing processes can be effective at changing behaviour, and pave the way for the future application of behavioural science in the fines collection space.

HEEP2 - Energy Insights from NZ Homes

The Household Energy End-Use Project #2 (HEEP2) is collecting data on how, and why, energy is used in households across New Zealand. From July 2021, HEEP2 will be recruiting 280 households from the Stats NZ Household Economic Survey. These households will each be monitored over 12 months, using a range of instrumentation and surveys, with the final up-to-date picture of energy use being available in the Stats NZ Data Lab. The HEEP2 data will allow researchers to answer a whole raft of questions, with the aim of understanding how to enable and motivate people to affordably create healthy home environments, in ways that contribute to a low-emissions economy.

For more information visit www.branz.co.nz/heep2

An analysis of household changes using Housing Register data

There are a number of data sources and research methods that can be used to understand how households change over time. This project used Social Housing Register data collated via the Integrated Data Infrastructure to analyse the housing pathways of individuals and households who require public housing, and sought out to understand the likelihood that an individual or household that leaves the Housing Register will re-enter the Housing Register in the future. For individuals that re-enter the Housing Register, this research also looked at how households tend to change between applications.

Workload of university students in New Zealand

This descriptive study uses education and taxation data to analyse patterns in employment for tertiary students in Aotearoa New Zealand. Using the Integrated Data Infrastructure to link tax data and tertiary enrolment data, and the Household Labour Force Survey to estimate hourly rates, we observe a strong seasonal pattern in employment rate and hours worked for full-time students, and to a lesser extent, part-time students. We also find key differences between international and domestic students. This work can give universities better insight into a key part of students’ lives, which has until now only been understood from surveys and anecdotes. To find out more, email Daniel Wrench at daniel.wrench@universitiesnz.ac.nz

Ngā Tapuae: Stepping stones for Māori Student Transitions

The Social Wellbeing Agency worked in partnership with Tokona Te Raki, a Ngāi Tahu-led collaborative established to increase Māori participation, success and progression in education and employment outcomes. Our research focuses on data discovery to learn actionable insights that identify the most important barriers, levers, and boosters that help young Māori to succeed. The research builds on the existing evidence base investigating the need for better transition pathways for Māori aged 15-29 years. Mixed methods were applied to answer the research question. We conducted the quantitative analysis in New Zealand’s Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI).

How people learn Te Reo Māori: Evidence from the IDI

This presentation uses the IDI to combine Census and education data to estimate the number of young people who learn te reo Māori through education versus other methods. It also estimates the amount of formal education required to become proficient in the language. Finally it suggests how a model might work for understanding the growth of te reo speakers over time.

[Presented in te reo Māori] He Ara Poutama mō te Reo Māori — Forecasting te Reo Māori Acquisition

He Ara Poutama mō te Reo Māori is a project that focuses on forecasting levels of te Reo Māori acquisition into the future including consideration of the impacts of changing language revitalisation initiatives. We are working with subject matter experts and organisations to help ensure this taonga is accessible for present and future generations. Nicholson Consulting is a data science consultancy in Te Whanagnui-a-Tara; we are partnering with Kōtātā Insights to use quantitative methods to assist our clients on their haerenga to see Māori as a living language and as an ordinary means of communication. For more information contact hello@nicholsonconsulting.co.nz

He Ara Poutama mō te Reo Māori — Forecasting te Reo Māori Acquisition

He Ara Poutama mō te Reo Māori is a project that focuses on forecasting levels of te Reo Māori acquisition into the future including consideration of the impacts of changing language revitalisation initiatives. We are working with subject matter experts and organisations to help ensure this taonga is accessible for present and future generations. Nicholson Consulting is a data science consultancy in Te Whanagnui-a-Tara; we are partnering with Kōtātā Insights to use quantitative methods to assist our clients on their haerenga to see Māori as a living language and as an ordinary means of communication. For more information contact hello@nicholsonconsulting.co.nz