Big Boys Don't Litter | Research Report 2021 | Hubbub

Big Boys Don’t Litter Research Report 2021

Contents 01// Context

2

Why tackle litter

4

Why focus on young men

5

02// The Reseach

6

Research aims

8

Methodology 9 Key findings

10

Key principles for communicating with young men

14

03// Key trends

16

Section 1: Motivations, interests, habits

18

Section 2: Littering behaviours and attitudes

26

Section 3: Communicating with young men

40

Future recommendations

49

Study limitations

50

Did the paired interview format work?

51

04// Appendix

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01// Context 3

01// Context

Why tackle litter • There are many very

persuasive reasons to tackle litter.

• Environmentally, the

• Litter also negatively

• The economic cost of

• Public opinion on littering

2 million pieces of litter dropped every day in the UK wreak havoc on our natural environment and habitats, both land and marine; on our doorsteps and further afield too. littering to taxpayers is steep: we spend an estimated £1bn a year dealing with the effects of littering in the UK (Keep Britain Tidy, 2014).

• The social effect of

littering on communities should also not be underestimated: the welldocumented ‘broken window theory’ shows that litter can have a priming effect for more serious forms of crime, and the net

4

impact on community spirit has negative implications for health and wellbeing. impacts brands with one study showing that seeing branded litter negatively affects attitudes towards brands and decreases willingness to buy (Roper & Parker, 2013). is unequivocal: Hubbub polling found that 81% of the British public say litter makes them feel angry and frustrated, and yet littering persists.

01// Context

Why focus on young men • This research focuses on a

demographic that is known to be more likely than others to litter. Hubbub polling in 2020 found that over a third of 16-25 year-olds had admitted to littering in the past month and that men were twice as likely to litter as women.

• Coca Cola Europacific

Partners and Burger King UK approached Hubbub to conduct research with the aim of providing useful insights for changing littering behaviours amongst young men.

• Hubbub has previous

experience of tackling litter through a series of campaigns and interventions including: the Ballot Bin, Neat Streets, For Fish’s Sake and Love Your Forest.

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02// The research 6

7

02// The Reseach

Research aims: • To understand what

motivates young men, why they litter, and how best to communicate with them effectively on this issue.

• To create a snapshot view of young men’s attitudes and behaviours around littering in 2021.

• To create a set

of guidelines for communicating with young men on environmental issues across future campaigns.

• To lay the foundations for

an effective behaviour change campaign targeted at this demographic.

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02// The Reseach

Methodology: • Hubbub conducted 30

one-hour long interviews with forty young men aged 16-25 over Zoom between January and February 2021.

• We worked with

recruitment partner Roots to recruit interviewees through a combination of traditional methods and targeted advertising which gave us a broad range of personalities and perspectives.

• Of the forty young men

interviewed in total, twenty interviews were conducted in a one-to-one format with one interviewee per interviewer. The remaining ten were ‘best-friend’ pairs conducted in a oneto-two format with two interviewees who knew each other beforehand per interviewer.

• We anticipated that

encouraging honest reporting around littering could be challenging so we focused on building rapport in the early stages of the interview and explicitly expressing our gratitude for honest responses. We strived to create a ‘safe space’ through active listening and reassurance.

• The interview was fairly

structured and covered 3 main topics:

• Section 1: Motivations, Interests, Habits.

• Section 2: Littering Attitudes and Behaviours.

• Section 3:

Communicating with Young Men.

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02// The Reseach

Key findings

1 2 3 10

Young men look up to other men: one stark

finding was the extent to which young men look up to other men, especially those relating to interests they have and those they perceive as highly successful. Choosing the right messengers for anti-littering messages could be an especially effective tool in getting messages to land with this target audience.

They see themselves as independent minded: a consistent trend was the belief young

men have that they are the masters of their own destiny. They tend to believe they are unaffected by advertising, not influenced by the behaviours of peers, and they think that littering because ‘that’s what everyone else is doing’ is a terrible excuse.

Framing positive behaviours in terms of ‘thinking for yourself’ could work well.

Group dynamics are powerful: despite this

belief, we know that group dynamics have a powerful effect with this younger demographic (especially when alcohol is involved) and when lockdown restrictions ease, we are likely to see this play out. Empowering the more litter conscious to speak up could create a positive ripple effect within groups.

02// The Reseach

4 5

Intent seen as more important than outcome: young men don’t tend to think about

the consequences of littering behaviours in terms of what happens next. They are much more likely to condone littering behaviours deemed less intentional such as leaving rubbish by bins that are full and ‘tidy littering’ even though these actions may still have the same effect ultimately as more ‘deliberate’ acts.

Car owners likely to litter: for most young men

we spoke to, throwing litter out of cars was seen as too deliberate an act to be deemed acceptable.

However, young men with cars (that they are often very proud of) are likely to litter fast food and drinks to avoid making a mess. We would recommend considering the context of how packaging is used in cars in the design process.

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02// The Reseach

Key findings (continued)

6 7 8

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Younger boys labelled litterers-in-chief: many young men told us that they thought younger boys (aged 12-16) were the more likely group to litter.

Many admitted having littered at a younger age and cited thoughtlessness, laziness and rebelliousness as reasons for this. We would advise further research into this younger demographic.

Carrot and stick both seen as effective motivators: when asked what they thought would

encourage people like them to stop littering the two most common themes were education and fines (or financial incentives).

There is a lack of anti-littering comms on social media: with no young men mentioning

having seen any anti-littering messaging online and 80% of young men using social media every day, there is a clear opportunity to move into this space.

02// The Reseach

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02// The Reseach

Key principles for communicat with young men: • Think about whether litter is the best word to use: this research suggests that ‘litter’ may not

always be the most intuitive choice of word to use in describing waste.

• Help them connect the dots between action and effect: on some level, young men already

understand the wider implications of littering behaviours but seem to be missing a link in terms of how this relates to their specific actions. Showing the cumulative effect of actions could also help build understanding here.

• Find the right messengers: nudges not to litter

coming from figures (especially men) that they look up to will be much more readily received.

• Try to avoid finger wagging: coming across as

a bureaucratic authority is unlikely to endear you to this audience.

• Use humour to cut through: young men

responded well to anti-littering messages that used levity to deliver messages that were ultimately still quite stuffy underneath (e.g. ‘Don’t be a tosser’).

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02// The Reseach

ting • Keep branding away from messaging where possible: scepticism about both the purpose and efficacy of branded advertising suggests there is wisdom in keeping overt branding away from any anti-littering comms. Using influencers instead of brands could be a way around this.

• Don’t be afraid to push boundaries: adverts

that push boundaries and have a strong sense of purpose or novelty tend to be most easily recalled by young men.

• Link messages to their interests: young men like to spend their time playing sports, gaming and spending time with friends. Drawing on these interests can help to contextualise messaging.

• Make the behaviour aspirational: many of this

demographic are at a point in life where they are striving to get somewhere and are in the process of growing into (more) responsible men. They love the aspirational messaging of Nike.

• Create content they would want to share: the benefit of pushing anti-littering messages on social media is that if it is sufficiently funny or interesting then young men will want to share it on their own channels which could set off a positive ripple effect within friendship groups.

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03// Key trends 16

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03// Key Findings

Section 1: Motivations, interests, habits

Young men are trying to get ahead in life, but COVID-19 has impacted their plans Most young men we spoke to are striving to get somewhere in life – whether through school or university, by doing apprenticeships or trying to get a foothold in their careers.

When asked if they had any ambitions or aspirations in life, around a third mentioned plans to set up their own businesses one day, and a couple already had. This outlook may be shaped by aspirational lifestyles portrayed on social media.

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As expected though, COVID-19 had affected most of our interviewees plans.

Those studying at university had been forced to adapt to remote working, while some were struggling to find work in the midst of the pandemic.

SO WHAT: This demographic tends to be in a phase of life where a key theme is about developing: building, pushing and trying to get somewhere.

Tapping into this sense of aspiration and newfound responsibility could be a way in.

03// Key Findings

Many still live at home with parents Nearly a third of the young men we spoke to told us they live with their parents and siblings – some of them were yet to leave home but others had moved home during the lockdown.

More than half of the people we spoke to were students with a mixture of those being at university, college/sixth form and still doing GCSEs. Green spaces such as parks, fields, and beauty spots were specifically mentioned in almost a third of interviews as something they liked about where they lived.

SO WHAT: Many young men aged 16-25 are not currently based in the place they will call home in the long run. A strong sense of connection to one’s local area cannot be assumed: many will be looking to leave when circumstances allow.

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03// Key Findings

Sports, exercise, gaming and hanging out with friends among favourite ways to spend time When asked how they spend their free time, sports and exercise were spoken about extensively. Sports frequently mentioned included team games including rugby, football and rowing, with some being members of competitive teams. Other sports included climbing, biking, hiking and going to the gym.

Many mentioned that exercise and fitness were important to them, and that they dedicated time to this.

Many of the interviewees also mentioned gaming as a way to spend their free time, with one even hoping to turn it into a career. As well as a form of escapism, when in person meet ups are out of the picture, connection through online gaming seems to present a good alternative and the competitive element is also a likely draw

“

Over half of the interviews spoke about spending time outdoors and in parks as one of their pastimes while a third of interviews also mentioned music as one of their main interests.

SO WHAT: Young men have a wide range of interests and like to spend their time socialising and keeping active.

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Roger: I love gaming – I’m the captain of my local e-sports team”

03// Key Findings

Young men miss their friends, the pub and the chance to travel When asked what they miss as a result of COVID-19, common answers included seeing their friends, going the pub, visiting restaurants and entertainment venues such as cinemas and bowling alleys.

Many young men just wished for a sense of normality to return.

Travelling was also frequently mentioned as an interest or aspiration that had been side-lined due to the impacts COVID-19.

This aspiration seems to be linked to the desire to grow and develop by ‘broadening their horizons’.

SO WHAT: Given that they have been deprived of opportunities to see each other for so long, when lockdown restrictions lifts we are likely to see large groups of young people gathering who will be excited that life has returned ‘back to normal’ and want to make the most of group social activities.

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03// Key Findings

Young men look up to men who have achieved extraordinary success (especially financial), with Elon Musk a firm favourite Pre-interview, we asked our interviewees who they would most like to invite to a dinner party. The results were telling: all guests were male (with the exception of one young man’s nan), and many were very rich and successful.

A dinner party with all the chosen guests would feature three Elon Musks, two Bill Gates, two Warren Buffets, two Barack Obamas, two Michael Jordans and two David Attenboroughs, not to mention a host of enigmatic names including, Freddie Mercury, Tyson Fury, Martin Luther King, Barry Chuckle and Jesus.

When asked who they look up to or see as a role model during the interview, we learned that role models were often related to specific interests including gaming

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personalities, musicians, sports personalities, or activists.

Out of the 40 interviewees only five women were mentioned as someone they look up to. These were often someone they knew on a personal level such as a relative (their mum) or a teacher.

SO WHAT: We can see from the dream dinner guests the value young men place on financial success and on the achievement of extraordinary feats. Many of these figures have been prominent in the news during lockdown which may have primed this question (this is known as the availability heuristic).

The overwhelming male representation in young men’s role models points to a need for carefully selected messengers in speaking out on issues such as littering.

03// Key Findings

80% use social media daily, with Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube the favourite platforms When asked how they use social media there were three main responses:

• the majority told us they

use social media to keep in touch with friends and family;

• at least a third use it for

entertainment including watching funny videos and finding memes;

more popular than Facebook and Twitter which seems to chime with usage patterns.

In general, Snapchat was the preferred platform for connecting with peers (especially amongst the younger demographic), whilst Instagram was found to be a favourite for connecting with the wider world.

“

Ramone: I’m on my phone the whole time”

• around a third mentioned

using specific platforms for news and information (e.g.

Facebook and Instagram).

Other reasons for using social media included posting life updates, following people they find inspirational or simply passing the time. Everyone we spoke to uses some form of social media. This may be due to the recruitment process of our sample.

We found that platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube were generally

SO WHAT: It is important to meet this social media savvy demographic where they are, including targeting the right kinds of content and messaging through the most relevant platforms.

It would be a good idea to test messaging on a small scale across different platforms before committing to campaign ideas.

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03// Key Findings

Young men have a lot on their minds: climate change figures prominently as one of the perceived biggest issues of our time

Climate change, deforestation and habitat loss were the most commonly mentioned environmental issues. Messages around these issues are clearly cutting through.

When we asked young men what they thought was the biggest issue of our time, we received a wide range of thoughtful answers including COVID-19, social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, mental health, social media culture, the economy, political elitism and income inequality.

The second most common theme was a sense of polarisation in politics and society leading to ‘black and white’ thinking. Many young men spoke about the dangers of not listening to others and how ‘both sides’ were taking things too far.

SO WHAT: Young people have a lot on their plates. Thanks to the rise of social media, there has arguably never been a generation so tuned into the issues of the world. While an issue such as littering is likely to be seen as important, it is competing with some pretty big hitters. There is an opportunity to turn this thoughtfulness and propensity for concern around big picture issues to problems like littering, and start to connect dots between interrelated issues.

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03// Key Findings

Lockdown has shifted outdoor eating habits The majority of those we spoke to reported getting food-onthe-go at least once a week.

The pandemic has meant these habits have shifted significantly with many people currently eating takeaways at home as opposed to in restaurants or in the park with friends.

SO WHAT: This trend is likely to swing back the other way once lockdown restrictions ease and we can expect to see young people regularly eating food on-the-go and in parks again.

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03// Key Findings

Section 2: Littering behaviours and attitudes Young men have a negative view of litter, but that’s not necessarily the best word to use When showed a picture of litter on a street, all young men interviewed had a negative gut reaction: It’s a mess, Gross. Nobody described litter in a positive way, showing that young men, like everybody else, fundamentally do not want to live in a littered world.

When asked to describe what they saw, the word ‘litter’ was used by some, but often words like ‘rubbish’, ‘dirty’ and ‘waste’ also sprang to mind.

“

Dara: Rubbish comes more natural than litter, littering has connotations of being deliberate”

SO WHAT: While the act of dropping litter/rubbish/waste was understood as ‘littering’, litter is perhaps not the best word for ‘waste’. ‘Litter’ has finger wagging associations – it is typically used by people who want other people to stop littering and so the judgment is implicit. By definition, litter is only litter once it’s been littered.

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03// Key Findings

Young men readily admit to leaving rubbish by full bins and ‘tidy littering’ When showed images of different littering scenarios, the behaviours that young men most commonly admitted to doing were leaving rubbish next to or near bins that were full and ‘tidy littering’ (leaving litter somewhere ‘tidy’, e.g. on a ledge).

“

Macauley: You want to do the right thing, but the bins are always full. It’s probably the best thing to do”

When asked if they thought these were forms of littering, most interviewees thought it was still littering but seen as an acceptable or even the ‘right thing’ to do.

SO WHAT: These behaviours were seen as more acceptable than other more flagrant forms of littering (just dropping it on the street, or dumping it somewhere) because they were not deliberately intended to cause a problem.

People often commented that they were unsure what else to do with their rubbish in the situation where a bin was full and suggested that it’s easy for the person responsible for emptying bins to collect the litter.

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03// Key Findings

Group dynamics play a large part in littering behaviours Our interviews highlighted the common-sense intuition that the likelihood of littering multiplies when individuals are part of a group.

This is especially the case in parks where large amounts of litter are often left behind by groups: individual accountability and responsibility for items is less obvious, and no one wants to be the person to tell others to pick up their litter.

“

Luke: If the group’s doing it, you don’t want to be the only one taking all the bottles to the bin – if the entire group is littering, you’re going to conform to that to fit in”.

Although participants who admitted to littering in most situations reported they’d be 28

unlikely to litter in a group due to this ‘social pressure’ – most reported the group dynamic effect in reference to others (not themselves).

“

Noah: If a group dynamic doesn’t have one person who says: ‘nah, that’s not alright’, then this happens”.

Equally though, if one or two people were vocal about the group taking home what they had brought with them, the conformity effect could work in a positive way.

SO WHAT: The effects of group dynamics can cut both ways, and empowering the more litterconscious young men to set norms in group settings could have a positive ripple effect.

03// Key Findings

Where alcohol is involved, littering becomes much more likely The fact that alcohol makes people more careless, less conscientious and less conscious of the effects of their actions is hardly new information.

Predictably, drinking is also likely to lead to more littering, especially when it takes place in a group setting (which it often does), and the two influences of alcohol and group dynamics combine.

“

Macauley: When people are drinking, they have less regard for their surroundings.

They don’t realise how much time people spend clearing it [their litter] up because the next weekend when they come back, it’s gone”.

SO WHAT: Recognising that drinking and littering are correlated can help to identify some litter hotspots. If you can find the places where young people congregate to drink, you can more effectively target interventions.

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03// Key Findings

Proud car owners much more likely to throw litter out of them When asked whether they threw litter out of cars, most young men found this to be distasteful behaviour: it was seen as far too ‘deliberate’ an act of littering to be considered acceptable. However, a significant minority of young men did admit to engaging in this behaviour: car owners.

Young men tend to take a lot of pride in their cars. It is likely to be their first vehicle, something that they have saved up for and a sentimental possession denoting freedom and responsibility. So, understandably they don’t want them to be messy, sticky or smelly.

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Sonny: McDonald’s cup without a lid where it might spill all over the floor… I would just chuck it out of the window”.

To some of these car owners, the reality seems to be that it is just easier and more convenient to throw stuff out of the window than to take it home or drop it at a service station and risk it making a mess in the meantime – especially with food and drinks. This logic also seemed to apply to smaller items such as apple cores and chewing gum which are highly inconvenient to keep in the car.

“

James: It’s different to [littering in] a park.

If you litter there, you’re ruining it for everyone else; if you do it on a motorway, it’s less of a big thing. I’m not ruining anyone’s journey”

03// Key Findings

SO WHAT: There may be an opportunity to target specific messaging at car owners (e.g. the designated driver who takes their mates to drive-thru). Further research might also unveil potential modifications in design that would encourage drivers to keep packaging in their cars until they were able to dispose of it responsibly.

Young men who smoke don’t know that cigarette butts are made from plastic When showed images of cigarettes in drains, most smokers admitted to frequently dropping cigarette on streets and in drains, with this behaviour especially likely to happen on a night out.

No one we spoke to seemed to know that cigarette butts were made from plastic. Several mentioned that they thought dropping cigarettes in drains was “safer” (no risk of causing a fire) and there was a general

sense that cigarette litter was fairly commonplace and normal.

All in all, cigarette butts were seen by most as a pretty harmless and insignificant bit of litter to drop and there was little appreciation of the cumulative effect this act would have.

“

Sonny: It doesn’t even seem that bad until you see a large amount in one place”

SO WHAT: Educating young men about the fact that cigarette butts are made from plastic while showing the enormous total effect of cigarette litter and providing more opportunities for safe and responsible disposal could make a big difference to behaviours.

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03// Key Findings

Intent (not outcome) is the most important factor when judging different kinds of littering

Leaving litter next to bins that were full or in ‘tidy’ places, was widely seen as more acceptable for this reason:

When asked to rank different littering scenarios in terms of how ‘acceptable’ they were, this was the average answer:

“

• Least Acceptable: Leaving litter in a park/green space window

It’s not as intentionally bad, and there is a sense that it’s more ‘respectful’.

litter on a wall or a ledge.

Leaving rubbish in a park is seen as much more ‘disrespectful’ and deliberate:

• Throwing litter out of a car • Dropping cigarette butts • ‘Tidy littering’ - leaving

• Most acceptable: Leaving litter next to a full bin

The rationale behind this order was fairly unanimous.

Intent is the most important consideration in judging whether a specific act of littering was more or less acceptable.

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Adam: Someone might have forgotten it or got distracted”.

“

Ihsanur: It’s clearly a planned event, why didn’t they bring a bin bag?”

03// Key Findings

SO WHAT: Intent is what leads young men to rank leaving litter in a park as totally unacceptable, and litter next to a bin as fairly acceptable. However, the potential outcome in both situations is very similar: litter next to the bin could easily blow out into the park or be scattered by animals, ultimately having the same effect as if it were just left carelessly.

Young men don’t consider the downstream effects of their littering behaviour Our research suggests that while intent is a consideration for young men in terms of littering, the ultimate outcome of their actions is not something they tend to think of. In one example we showed an overflowing bin next to a body of water but only one interviewee mentioned the very real possibility that rubbish would blow into the water and ultimately have a good chance of ending up as ocean plastics.

“

SO WHAT: General understanding of ‘what happens next’ was very limited and as such most young men already feel that they are doing the ‘right’ thing.

As such, connecting the dots between what is seen as a positive behaviour (compared to outright littering), and the outcome of their action (often the same as if they had actually littered) could help to diffuse this misconception.

Zak: I don’t understand how my litter in a park could end up in the middle of the ocean. It just feels like too big a disconnect.”

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03// Key Findings

Many do have a basic understanding of what happens to litter that isn’t disposed of properly though Interestingly, when we asked later on in the interview, what they thought happened to litter there were quite a lot of fairly accurate responses:

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“

Hasssan: It gets washed out to ocean and affects wildlife.”

“

Zakarya: Most gets cleared up by the council.

The rest gets blown into nature.”

“

Tayo: Unless someone picks it up it stays around for a very, very long time”

These effects were not mentioned when judging how acceptable specific behaviours were, but the fact that this direct line of questioning teased out this awareness shows that many young men do fundamentally have a basic understanding of what happens to litter. However, they are not yet connecting the dots between their specific behaviours and the impact it may have.

Whilst many realised the impact, a few still thought that litter would simple be cleaned up by street cleaning teams and people doing community service. They did not realising that by the time these groups got to the scene, it may well not be there anymore.

SO WHAT: There is an opportunity to more directly relate the wider effects of littering (e.g. harming nature) to specific behaviours, telling them more directly what they already know deep down.

03// Key Findings

Almost two thirds of 16–25 year-old men think that littering is primarily done by younger teens When asked who they thought does the most littering, a significant majority of young men told us that they thought younger teenagers (12-16) were the litterers-in-chief.

Many mentioned that they themselves had engaged in littering at a younger age and told us that consequences just don’t matter as much to boys that age who are often lazy and rebellious.

As boys turn into young men, it would seem that littering behaviours transition from deliberate acts of rebellious littering to more ‘respectful’ forms of littering such as leaving bottles on ledges.

Interestingly, throughout our interviews, no young men mentioned littering by girls or women. The assumption that young men were responsible for the heavy lifting in terms of littering seemed to be fairly well established.

“

Rory: I was very stupid as a kid – consequences just don’t matter to you as much. I never thought to say ‘don’t litter guys’.

At that age (12-16), it’s not necessarily cool to litter, but it’s also not not cool to litter”

SO WHAT: We would recommend further research into this younger demographic to enable targeted messaging.

This Teenage Dirtbag report by the British Cleaning Council provides some initial clues, although this was written in 2004 so more up to date insights would be beneficial.

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03// Key Findings

Young men may litter more because they have less of a stake in society Another demographic that was mentioned on multiple occasions was people who are ‘socially disenfranchised’: typically, those at the lower end of the socio-economic scale. One interviewee explained his reasoning for why he thought those with less of a stake in society, or who feel that society doesn’t do anything for them, are more likely to engage in littering:

“

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Zakarya: Littering is more of a symptom than a cause I suppose - it doesn’t just arise.

It’s a symptom of carelessness. They don’t care about what the council says and are living in the present as opposed to looking to the future”.

This theory could also explain why young people (boys in particular) are more likely to litter. They are likely to still be living at home and may have parents who clean up after them; they may not yet feel that invested in wider society, are unlikely to be paying taxes yet.

“

James: The cost to local taxpayers might encourage me not to litter if I paid council tax”.

Although this theory may intuitively feel correct, further research would be required to confirm this intuition.

SO WHAT: Understanding the wider sociological context of people who litter is likely to lead to a better understanding of why littering occurs more among certain demographics and why traditional anti-littering campaigns may have struggled to reach them.

03// Key Findings

Almost half think the excuse ‘other people litter so why shouldn’t I’ is the worst excuse for littering, while more than ¾ cite lack of bins as the best excuse for littering

There was also widespread empathy for those who have to pick up litter:

When asked to rank five possible excuses for littering this was the average ranking:

This was echoed even by those who admitted to littering.

• Least acceptable excuse:

Interestingly, not wanting rubbish in their car was seen as a relatively acceptable excuse for littering even by those who ruled out doing this behaviour themselves.

Other people litter so why shouldn’t I

• People are paid to pick up litter

• My littering doesn’t make

a difference in the grander scheme of things

• I don’t want rubbish in my car

• Most acceptable excuse: There was no bin nearby

The absence of nearby bins was widely seen as the most acceptable excuse for littering. This is unsurprising: we find this is a common complaint of litterers.

“

“

Louis: Why make someone’s life harder?”

Miles: To be fair, I can see why you wouldn’t want stuff in your car”

While an individual’s litter not making a difference in the grander scheme of things was also seen as a weak excuse:

“

Jack: That’s like saying you shouldn’t vote”

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03// Key Findings

Some did mention the role and responsibility of governments and businesses to improve ‘the grander scheme of things’.

“

Lewis: The supermarkets are to blame as they give us all of this plastic”.

SO WHAT: We can see from the least acceptable excuse that young men like to see themselves as independent, and not influenced by the actions of others. More than one interviewee told us:

“

If someone else jumped off a cliff, would you?”

However, we know that in reality, social norming is a powerful driver in terms of behaviour change across all demographics.

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03// Key Findings

Young men are conscious of litter, in particular how it affects areas they care about We asked if they noticed litter when they were out and, if so, what they thought of it. We learnt that they all tend to notice it to some extent and they think it ‘brings down the feel of a place’, affecting morale.

There was a general understanding that litter begets litter and that it has a negative impact on communities and where they live, particularly in reference to areas that they have a strong connection to.

“

Jack (on seeing litter in nature): It takes some of the wonder away because you’ll be on a walk with mountains all around thinking how little impact humans have had, then you look at the floor and it’s covered in rubbish”.

SO WHAT: Young men are thoughtful about the social effects of litter with a general understanding that it has wider implications than just making a place look messy.

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03// Key Findings

Section 3: Communicating with young men Adverts that push boundaries and have a strong sense of purpose or novelty tend to resonate When asked what kind of adverts or campaigns they recalled seeing, these were some of the most common answers:

• Just Eat with Snoop Dogg • Car adverts, e.g. Land • • • •

Rover x James Bond Peloton Royal Marines KFC gravy burger Look Into My Eyes COVID-19 ad

• Anti drink driving/speeding ads by Think: this haunting one in particular.

Bold messages seem to land with this audience: either those that powerfully and

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unequivocally hammer home a very important message (Think, COVID-19 ad), those that lean on humour and novelty (Snoop Dogg, KFC gravy burger) or those conveying a strong sense of purpose (Land Rover x James Bond, Peloton, Royal Marines).

SO WHAT: Using bold messaging and pushing boundaries with this audience may help messages stick.

03// Key Findings

Young men like to think they are not influenced by brands and advertising A common theme when discussing favourite brands and adverts was the notion that they were not interested in or influenced by brands and adverts.

“ “

Jacob: Adverts don’t affect my behaviour” Zak: I don’t really like brands or companies to be honest, especially big ones.

I don’t like them or trust them, or like their advertising”

There was a fair amount of scepticism about the purpose of advertising and how it is designed to ‘manipulate’ their behaviour, albeit ineffectively according to them. This could be linked to the tendency noted earlier, that young men generally consider themselves as being independent minded and not influenced by outside forces.

SO WHAT: Keeping overt branding away from anti-littering communications would help to avoid the perception that this message was really designed to make money or manipulate behaviours rather than create positive change.

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03// Key Findings

Nike is a firm favourite brand for young men Mentioned more often than any other brand (in a positive light), Nike seems to be getting something right when it comes to communicating with young men.

The appeal seems to extend beyond just the good quality, stylish clothing. The high energy, positive and aspirational messaging, clever use of social media (including on popular platforms like Snapchat), sense of action (Just Do It), and use of high achieving stars who push boundaries, combines to make a heady mix.

“

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Curtis: They make you feel like you’re doing something important”

SO WHAT: Nike’s aspirational sense of action, use of social media, and choice of role models seems to land with young men.

Taking inspiration from this approach could be a fruitful route to success.

03// Key Findings

None recalled seeing anti-littering comms online or on social media When asked whether they had seen any anti-littering communications in their everyday lives, we garnered some predictable responses: signs on streets threatening fines, motorway signs, anti fly-tipping notices and signs on bins.

“

Ihsanur: Why would you have a no littering sign on a bin – it doesn’t make sense?”

Interestingly though, not one interviewee mentioned having seen any anti-littering communications online or on social media despite this space being where this demographic spends a large chunk of their time.

“

Luke: I’ve not seen anything online over the last few years to do with littering”

SO WHAT: There is an opportunity to move into the online space through targeted messaging and meet this demographic where they are at. Creating content that is even desirable for them to reshare could create a positive, rippling network effect in a way that would not be possible with on-street messaging.

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03// Key Findings

We showed our interviewees the following 6 anti-littering signs and asked for their feedback: A

B

C

D

E

F

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03// Key Findings

This is what we found: Messaging that is overly judgemental or fingerwagging doesn’t seem to land well C and D were by far the least popular ads.

Labelling the behaviour as lazy (C) doesn’t seem to resonate and feels a bit ‘teacher-y’ whereas ad D came across as impersonal

“ “

Tayo (on ad C): Telling people they’re lazy isn’t going to stop them” Sonny (on ad D): I’m not a fan of that blunt approach”

SO WHAT: Young men don’t like being told what to do by authority figures.

Humour is an effective communication tool The messaging on ad F proved popular for its use of humour and levity in talking about an ostensibly boring issue.

“

Zakarya (on ad F): I like this one a lot, the play on words is effective”

However, this ad did attract some criticism for the design (“It looks like a parking sign”) and the amount of text (“way too many words”).

SO WHAT: Use of humour enables more direct messaging to be received without the same feelings of judgement and being told what to do by a bureaucratic authority figure.

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03// Key Findings

Those who don’t litter are likely to have their positive behaviour reinforced by proenvironmental messages Along with F, A also proved to be one of the most popular ads. However, we found that many of those who liked the use of the turtle imagery most were those with a pre-existing interest in environmental issues.

“

Max (on ad A): It hits home”

On the flipside, there was indication that some of those who littered didn’t like this ad:

“

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Ihsanur (on ad A): If they have enough time to put up that poster, they have enough time to put a bin about”

SO WHAT: While it is hard to be sure from the research, we would suggest that those who openly litter are less likely to be persuaded by overtly pro-environmental messages. If they already cared strongly about the environment, they probably wouldn’t be littering.

03// Key Findings

Education and fines are most likely to convince young men who litter to stop

for correct disposal were also popular.

We asked young men what they thought would encourage people like them who litter to stop littering.

The two most common themes were education and fines/financial incentives.

• More bins • There being less litter

Education: this broke down to having a better understanding of the effects of littering on nature, wildlife and communities, even when the intention is not bad.

Fines and financial incentives: interestingly, while most disliked the advert signalling the threat of a fine, many young men we spoke to thought that actually getting a fine would be a powerful influencer in terms of behaviour change. Financial incentives such as deposit return schemes and rewards

Other factors that would encourage less littering:

in the first place: the understanding that litter begets litter

• Social pressure • If the litter didn’t smell or could be easily transported

SO WHAT: On a societal level, young men think a combination of carrot and stick might be the most effective way to move the needle on this behaviour. While for some education would be sufficient, others might need a blunter instrument to make them consider their actions.

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03// Key Findings

Documentaries, saving money and following their friends & inspirational role models When asked if they had adopted any proenvironmental behaviours and why, we found that environmental behaviour often stemmed from:

• A powerful documentary

they had seen (e.g. Blue Planet, Cowspiracy, What the Health:

“

David: As a household we recently watched that David Attenborough thing on Netflix [A Life on our Planet]… we’ve massively cut down the amount of red meat we eat since”.

• Their friends having

started doing something (eating less meat):

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“

Jack: One of my friends just became vegetarian and it showed me that anyone can do it.”

• Or to save money (using reusable water bottles, recycling old clothes):

“

Jonathon: I recycled some clothes the other day instead of throwing them out.

I took them to H&M - they give you a voucher”

• Inspirational role models: we saw that quite a few young men were specifically interested in getting electric vehicles (mentioned in five interviews) – here we may be seeing the effect inspirational figures like Elon Musk can have.

03// Key Findings

Future recommendations • Further research into the younger

demographic of 12-16 year-olds to discover what kinds of messages would resonate with this audience based on their behaviours and attitudes towards litter, and their preferred communication styles.

• Further research into littering behaviours of

car owners to find potential interventions for this.

• Further research into what previous attempts there have been to target young men on social media with anti-littering messaging, and where they went wrong if so.

• Further research into which social media

platforms are most appropriate for targeting anti-littering messages based on what young men use different platforms for and how they respond to advertising.

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03// Key Findings

Study limitations • The research took place between January and February 2021 during the height of the third COVID-19 lockdown at a time when normal routines were completely disrupted.

• Partly due to constraints due to lockdown restrictions, recruitment largely took place through adverts placed on social media, possible creating a sample biased towards higher social media use.

• During pre-interview screening, candidates were asked

a series of questions to ensure fair representation across different criteria including attitudes to littering to ensure that our pool of candidates included litterers.

Despite most screening taking place weeks before the interview date, there may have been a priming effect, although littering-specific questions were included amongst many others.

• The nature of the paired interviews meant that here

was often insufficient time to put all questions to all interviewees, and so inferring exact percentages and stats has not always been possible.

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03// Key Findings

Did the paired interview format work?

• We took inspiration from the Teenage Dirtbag

report and hypothesised that when talking about a behaviour that most people know on some level is wrong, it might be useful for interviewees to have a friend in attendance with them to a) make them feel more comfortable and, b) call them out if they were not being totally honest with us.

• We found that both interview techniques had

their merits, and that a combination worked well:

• Pairs offered more in-depth discussion on

each point whereas more questions could be covered with individuals.

• Interviewees in pairs did challenge each other on specific points.

• We would recommend trialling both formats

again where possible, as it does offer different perspectives.

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03// Appendix 52

53

04// Appendix

Location

54

Ethnicity

North West

1

White

28

North East

3

Asian/Asian British

4

West Midlands

8

6

East Midlands

2

Black/African/ Caribbean/Black British

East of England

1

1

South West

2

Mixed/Multiple Ethnic Groups Other Ethnic Group

1

South East

3

London

10

Wales

2

Scotland

4

NI

4

Ages 16-18

15

19-21

12

22-25

13

04// Appendix

Littering status:

Working status Unemployed

4

Frequently litter

9

Employed

11

Sometimes litter

16

Student

23

Rarely litter

11

2

Never litter

4

Self-employed

Household income Less than £9,999

9

£10,000-19,999

6

£20,000-39,999

5

£40,000-59,999

4

£60,000-79,999

7

£80,000+

3

Prefer not to say

6

During the pre-screener, interviewees were asked to rank their propensity to litter on a scale of 1-10 (1 being always litter, 10 being never litter). While this gave us some initial information on perceived littering behaviour, we know this kind of self-reporting is indicative at best. 73% of drivers report being better than average, rising to 80% amongst men. This plays out across self-reporting on all kinds of behaviours and is known as the 'above-average effect'. We knew this question would produce a strong bias, and so inferred: never litter (10/10), rarely litter (9/10), sometimes litter (7-8/10), frequently litter (1-6/10).

55