Doha: Two major events have shaped the last year for B4 Development: Qatar’s FIFA World Cup preparations and the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the start of the year, B4 Development ran experiments during the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020, aiming to increase recycling and reduce littering.
Salient reminders in stadiums helped reduce littering by 18%, while call-to-action prompts improved fans’ correct use of recycling bins by 12.5%. Other experiments gauged and increased willingness to commit to sustainable behaviour and improve the fan experience, which continued to be the focus in interventions conducted during the FIFA Arab Cup, which was held in Qatar from November 30 to December 18.
B4 Development was founded in 2016 by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy — in charge of preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 — as the first behavioural insights and nudge unit in the Arab world.
One of B4 Development’s main goals is to support various tournament issues with behavioural components, such as transport and recycling. The objective will help Qatar deliver an optimum fan experience for the million or so visitors the country is expecting to welcome during the tournament, stated Dr. Fadi Makki, Director, B4 Development.
Notably, this will be the first time behavioural science will have been used during a mega-event such as the World Cup. Subsequently, B4 Development work will provide valuable lessons for future host countries, including the US, Canada, and Mexico, who will co-host the next edition of the World Cup in 2026.
The organisation will continue to work closely with the football for development initiative Generation Amazing to enhance the effectiveness of its programmes – which are active in more than ten countries around the world. In particular, it will integrate behavioural insights into every aspect of the project, which aims to increase youth engagement, promote inclusion and encourage healthy lifestyles. Generation Amazing practitioners have already seen the value that nudges can make in delivering these programmes and making them even more impactful for thousands of people worldwide.
B4 Development also expects to intensify collaboration with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in 2022. This year, the organisation worked alongside the MOPH to boost vaccination rates and encourage people to adhere to COVID-19 mitigation strategies. Several tools were used and tested. For instance, it successfully reduced vaccine hesitancy by updating people’s perception of the correct social norms regarding support for vaccine uptake. B4 Development also tested, with considerable success, the impact of other tools in reducing hesitancy, including the effect of messengers and emotional appeals.
It recently began supporting the MOPH concerning its collaboration with the World Health Organization to make the next FIFA World Cup a beacon for physical and mental health promotion and a model for ensuring future mega sports events are healthy and safe.
Also, in 2021, capacity building for other stakeholders was prominent on the B4 Development agenda. The organisation helped the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa launch the MindLab Behavioural Insights Unit within its Department of Finance. It also supported institutional aspects of the set-up and capacity building – in line with its core objective of spreading the power of behavioural science throughout the region.
In November, organizing the latest BX Arabia conference was part of B4 Development’s broader work disseminating behavioural insights to a wider audience. The conference again brought together leading experts in the behavioural science field and was streamed online to an audience of hundreds.
As the world gets used to a ‘new normal’ following the COVID-19 pandemic, B4 Development also expects to focus keenly on mental health projects.
Countries worldwide require special and targeted support in this area, presenting several complex issues. There is no doubt that behavioural issues stand in the way of people seeking help – and B4 will be creating experiments to counteract this.
Finally, B4 will continue to build partnerships with regional and international organisations, including UN bodies, academic institutions, and NGOs – particularly those focused on the global south. The organisation has many lessons learned to share with partners and others. Its various publications and events, such as BX Arabia, will continue to support in this regard.
In short, B4 Development expects to be very busy as it continues to impact behavioural science in Qatar, the region, and worldwide.
