Dissertation Prize awarded to MSc student
26 February 2025
University of Stirling MSc student, Anwesha Bedamatta, has received an award from us for her dissertation work which focussed on understanding behaviour change and the use of sustainable shopping bags.
For the past five years we've has presented an award for the best MSc Behavioural Science dissertation that employs behavioural science to promote sustainability.
Anwesha MSc dissertation was called -Framing Bag Choices: An Experimental Study on Decision-Making. Her study recruited more than 200 UK individuals and experimentally tested how financial and behavioural considerations impacted their choice between a tote bag and a “bag for life” made of plastic. This research sheds light on how behavioural science can supplement economic policies to promote sustainable behaviour.
Barry Fisher , our CEO, who presented the award on 25 February said, “Over the past few years we’ve been pleased to support the important work that the behavioural science centre is doing at the University. It is great that our team gets to hear first-hand from the students and is able to learn about their findings. Inspiring people to make positive and sustainable decisions is part of what we do, and our work to encourage people to #ChooseToReuse instead of purchasing single-use products is embedded in many of our current activities and campaigns.”
“I was delighted to present Anwesha with a certificate and the KSB Award for her excellent dissertation this year.”
MSc Behavioural Science Program director Prof David Comerford said, “It is always a joy to welcome back a student to present their dissertation work and we are deeply grateful to Keep Scotland Beautiful for giving us this chance. Anwesha’s work is a great example of how behavioural science can be harnessed to make important changes to our everyday behaviours.”
Anwesha will receive £500 in prize money as part of the KSB Award, she said, "I feel honoured to be recognised with the Keep Scotland Beautiful Award 2024 for my dissertation. It’s exciting to see how behavioral science interventions, through subtle nudges, can create meaningful change. Though small, these shifts have the power to influence decisions and drive sustainable behaviour change at scale. I am grateful for the opportunity to delve into something that creates an impact in the real-world setting."
We currently receive single-use bag charge proceeds from a number of retailers to help fund our work. If your business would like to make a donation this way, please do get in touch.
