Consumers and Resource Use Team

The Consumers and Resource Use (CRU) team specialises in conducting social and behavioural research to better understand, explain and predict how (and why) consumers use resources across a range of domains (e.g. energy, water, materials, etc.). We draw on theories, principles and methods from multiple disciplines – including the fields of social science, psychology and behavioural economics – to address the ‘human’ aspects of economic and technical challenges in the resource domain. By doing so, we aim to shed light on the ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of consumer decision-making and behaviour.

Our research aims to explore the drivers vs. barriers to sustainable consumption, and by doing so identify strategies to shift human behaviour in a more positive direction; that is, towards greater efficiency and sustainability. While some of our research is focused on consumer engagement, we also seek to explain, predict and shape the behaviour of individuals and households. For example, we design evidence-based strategies to motivate behaviour change, then test the impact of such strategies using real-world experiments.

In terms of scientific methodologies, the team applies mixed methods for data collection and analysis. In particular, we have expertise in conducting surveys, focus groups, experiments, and field studies (including randomised controlled trials) to gather new primary data from consumers. This is coupled with experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses to answer key research questions and test scientific hypotheses.