A Consumer study of law induced behaviour and attitude change: the case of safety helmets

Abstract

In the past decade, marketing has increasingly entered beyond the regime of traditional business studies. Using the concepts drawn from the field of consumer behaviour and other behavioural sciences, marketing has the technology for designing, implementing and controlling the social change programmes. Today marketing is in a position to solve many of the problems of society which have been eluding solution earlier.

This dissertation deals with the problem of non-use of safety helmets by those driving powered two wheelers, for reducing the hazards of serious injuries in road accidents involving scooterists and motorcyclists. The research aims at helping the policy maker in the design of strategies based on the behavioural underpinnings of the problem.

The specific objectives of the research were:

1. To identify the cognitive and attitudinal variables related to the use of safety helmets and to tap important beliefs about the helmets and their usage. 2. To find out whether the relevant belief factors remained same or underwent changes when the usage was left to voluntary behaviour versus when it was made mandatory. 3. To identify the changes brought about in the attitudes and beliefs when the usage was mandatory with penalties for non-use as compared to when the usage was purely voluntary. 4. To assess the opinions of powered two wheeler drivers towards the mandatory usage, the law makers and those enforcing the mandatory usage under both the conditions, i.e. when the usage was mandatory and when it was voluntary. 5. To find out whether there were any inhibitory factors operating within the marketing mix used by manufacturers or marketeers of safety helmets. If yes, what could be done to improve the marketing mix to encourage better acceptance of the product. 6. To find out whether any use of product information or education regarding the product benefits and persuasive communications have been made at different stages of product introduction under different conditions of mandatory and voluntary usage. Also, to assess the effect of the campaigns if any, as perceived by the target segments. 7. To assess whether any background variables like age, education, income of the user, etc., have any influence on beliefs and attitudes towards helmet usage.

A self-administered questionnaire with Likert type of instrument was developed and used together with an unstructured depth interview on a sample of 258 respondents drawn from three separate samples. These consisted of 102 users under law drawn from Delhi, 106 non-users and 50 voluntary users drawn from Ahmedabad. The questionnaire was filled up in the presence of the researcher and the respondent were given full opportunity to seek clarifications if any required. After the questionnaire was completed in about 20 to 25 minutes, an unstructured depth interview for about ten minutes followed and important points of discussion were recorded before proceeding to the next respondent.

One of the major findings of the study was that the law induced behaviour changes under the threat of negative sanctions and low behavioural freedom has led to favourable changes in beliefs and attitudes towards the object of change.

Salient beliefs which best explained the difference between users and non-users were identified. These beliefs were then used to design communication strategies, both educative and persuasive for increasing the usage of safety helmets.

Based on the research, implications for public policy and for the design of marketing strategy for the manufacturers or marketeers of safety helmet were then drawn.

It was found that safety helmet usage was more a matter of habit than anything else. This habit could be changed by (1) creating an increased awareness of the need to wear a helmet through educative and persuasive messages aimed at changing the belief structure of non-users to that of users, (2) by the law induced behaviour under threats of negative sanctions.

Factors acting as inhibitors to helmet usage were also identified. It was concluded that removal of inhibiting factors should get priority and should occupy the prime place in any strategy chosen to increase helmet usage.

It was also found that educative and persuasive strategy should be used first, before going in for power strategy based on the sanction of law, to first influence a sizable portion of the population and convert them into users. It was however felt that this alone would not suffice and resorting to compulsory usage law would be necessary. However, this must be done together with the use of educative and persuasive strategies.

It was also found that given the present market structure there was little possibility of manufacturers/sellers of helmets to enhance the size of the market. It was felt that the public agencies would have to play a leading role in encouraging helmet usage.

The conceptual framework and the methodology could be easily adopted to study many other problems affecting society, where social change is sought and where the problem has not been amenable to existing solutions.