Behavioural Research

RAND Europe provides expertise in behavioural economics to bring understanding of how psychological factors such as framing, priming, discounting, accounting for risk and other biases influence consumer behaviour.

Our research improves understanding of consumer behaviour through experiments—both hypothetical experiments and those undertaken in the field—and business models, as well as the interaction between the two.

Featured Research

  • Hand press on free trial button on virtual screen

    'Free' trials mislead many EU consumers

    Labelling that includes a notice of the monthly fee to be charged after the end of a free trial can help to improve consumers' awareness of subscription traps, but many people overlook the information or are overconfident in their ability to remember to cancel.

Selected Research

  • Red and green figures of people indicating influence on their surroundings, photo by Andrey Yalanskiy (Андрей Яланский)/Adobe Stock

    Using machine learning to detect malign information efforts online

    Social media is increasingly being used by human and automated users to distort information, erode trust in democracy and incite extremist views. Our research produced a machine learning model that can successfully detect Russian trolls.

  • Colored lines converging into one red arrow, image by lvcandy/Getty Images

    Strategic advantage in a competitive age: Definitions, dynamics and implications

    The world today is characterised by intensifying strategic competition, the dynamics of which need to be understood to inform robust decision making. RAND Europe conducted a study to refine the existing definition of 'strategic advantage' to support ongoing UK government efforts to bring clarity to this important topic.

  • back side label on the bottle of Thornbridge Bracia

    Understanding How Labels Inform Consumers about Dangers of Alcohol Consumption

    To better understand the extent to which alcoholic beverage labelling is implemented in practice, and to assess the effectiveness of health-related information conveyed and presented on products, RAND Europe worked with partners at GfK to conduct fieldwork across EU Member States to examine beverage packaging and inform how labelling could be improved.

  • black man taking pill

    Local Context is Key in Successfully Using ARVs to Prevent HIV/AIDS

    The Mapping Pathways project, in which RAND Europe is a partner, explores the complex issues surrounding the use of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy as HIV prevention. The second phase of the project produced a report that brings together scientific evidence and community perspectives on four strategies for ARV-based HIV prevention and emphasises how local context shapes perception of evidence. Three subsequent workshops examine the local context in greater detail.

  • Two police officers of British Transport during a demonstration in central London, November 9, 2011

    Handling Ethical Problems in Counterterrorism

    Counterterrorism professionals routinely face decisions that may require trade-offs between moral values such as privacy, liberty, and security, and broader human rights considerations. But methods currently used in counterterrorism, as well as those from other sectors, may help guide ethical decision making.

  • internet of things tag cloud

    Examining Europe's Policy Options to Foster Development of the 'Internet of Things'

    The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to fundamentally change the future, as billions of objects around us will be connected to make our lives easier. The European Commission hopes to devise a policy stance capable of fostering a dynamic and trustworthy IoT. RAND Europe research is informing this policy, based on the current state of play and probable developments, from a technological, economic and policy point of view.