Changing people's intentions also changed what they did, by a small to medium amount.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   About 8,800 people took part in 47 studies, about 187 in each. The studies included students and non-students, and behaviours such as condom use and exercise.

2. 02

   What they did

   In each study, people were put into groups by chance. One group had its intentions changed, and the other got something else or nothing. What people did was measured afterwards.

3. 03

   What happened

   Changing intentions raised them by a medium-to-large amount, and what people did changed by a small-to-medium amount. Where intentions did not change, what people did changed only a little. Much of the change in behaviour ran through intentions, though not all of it.

What the review found

1. HelpedMotivation

   Across 47 studies, help raised people's intentions by a medium to large amount, more than other groups.

   Pooled analysis of 47 studies with 8,802 people · vs people who got something else or nothing · they rated themselves · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. HelpedGoals

   Across 47 studies, changing intentions also changed what people did. The change was small to medium.

   Pooled analysis of 47 studies with 8,802 people · vs people who got something else or nothing · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source