Values -
Connect with what matters to people
Values are what matters most to us in life. They are at the heart of human motivations. Engaging with people’s values is shown to help better communicate science.
- Public narratives that tell us money, personal success, our public image is most important, surface what are known as extrinsic and individual values.
- Many public narratives also surface fears for our own health and safety or that of our loved ones.
- Research shows that what matters most to most people is taking care of each other and the planet, discovery, creativity and reaching our own goals, known as intrinsic and collective values.
- These intrinsic values are the ones most likely to engage people in deeper thinking about complex issues and improving systems for collective wellbeing.
- Use intrinsic and collective values to communicate about issues of collective wellbeing.
The Universal Values Map created by Common Cause Foundation based on the research of Professor Shalom Schwartz is a helpful reference for values. Values that encourage choices for the collective good are those in the ‘Self-direction’, ‘Universalism’ and ‘Benevolence’ sections.
Learn more about the Universal Values Map at Common Cause Australia website here.
Key values to surface helpful thinking about home health include:
- Care (love)
- Responsibility
- Social Justice
- Equality (fairness)
- Self-direction
- Wisdom
- Mana
Special Topic: Te ao Māori and values research
The Schwartz research reflected in Common Cause’s Values Map is broad but does not specifically include te ao Māori perspectives. The Workshop have used the values map in collaboration with Māori organisations and people and found broad agreement between te ao Māori perspectives and the intrinsic values.
Kaupapa Māori organisations have been part of the development of this toolkit and have tested elements of the approach. However, we believe that there is ongoing work to do in ensuring that messaging reflects and respects a te ao Māori perspective. We recommend taking the Schwartz research and Values Map as a starting point and tool to use in thinking about values. Always consult with tangata whenua and others affected by the work to make sure that the implementation and framing feel true and accessible to their cultural context and lived experience.
Values for homes that support health and wellbeing
Talk about responsible management and pragmatism
Talking about responsible management and pragmatism reminds people that responsible care for our communities and planet is the sensible, pragmatic choice. Often people use cost-effectiveness arguments when they would be better to lead with responsible management and pragmatism which surfaces collective thinking over zerosum (win-lose) thinking, i.e., more for you means less for me (which discussions of money and allocation of funding tend to do).
What does this sound like?
“A decent home is warm, dry, accessible, and offers security of tenure. Decent homes allow people to contribute to and participate in our communities. They allow people to get work and get to work and to keep kids in school. Decent homes keep people healthy. Ensuring all New Zealanders live in a decent home is the responsible and pragmatic thing to do.”
Talk about homes and housing as a system that we have the knowledge and tools to improve
This surfaces values of self-direction and wisdom. It draws attention to the systemic causes of unhealthy homes and reminds us that we have the means and ability to address problems. It avoids surfacing individualism (the problem is due to individual actions and can be addressed at the individual level) and fatalism (this problem is too big for us to solve).
What does this sound like?
“We have the knowledge and capabilities to ensure every New Zealander can feel at home in their home. When researchers, government policy-makers, local council advisors, housing providers, the building industry and community organisations work together we can ensure homes can do their job and look after people’s health.”
Talk about public good and everybody getting what they need to thrive
This connects to the value of equity and encourages helpful thinking about collective responsibility and the importance of everyone having conditions in place for good health and wellbeing. It helps people understand that working to improve home health can help solve inequality across communities. It can also surface values of self-direction and choice.
What does this sound like?
“Our homes need to look after us at every stage and circumstance of life: from newborn babies to grandparents/kaumatua; when we are well and when we are sick. Homes can be the safe haven everyone deserves.”
Avoid surfacing unhelpful values
Avoid
Embrace
Avoid
Fear and security values
This is when communicators imply that what matters most in the context of the issue is keeping safe. E.g. don’t lead your communications with how unhealthy homes may impact people’s material wellbeing, or damage their health. It is possible to describe health effects in a story that explains how home health affects us. Leading with fear increases a desire for simple behavioural solutions to big problems. In complex, systemic problems these solutions don’t exist so people disengage from supporting other actions.
Embrace
Care for people and communities
It’s important that governments and businesses act to improve liveability of homes to protect people and places
Avoid
Embrace
Avoid
Economic values
Leading with economic values like cost effectiveness or value to the economy when discussing home health should be avoided. This triggers individualistic thinking and action (what’s in for me vs. what is in it for us)
This policy to improve homes will save us x amount of money each year.
Embrace
Responsible management
More effective than leading with cost effectiveness or cost is leading with values about responsibility, responsible management, and pragmatism.
People in government can legislate and resource to ensure all homes are affordable to heat and ventilate.
Avoid
Embrace
Avoid
Leading with security values, as it may surface individualism
Note that talking about health in an explanation is fine, just avoid leading with security-focused ideas of health.
Embrace
Fairness across places
For all people to live in healthy homes and have good health and wellbeing.
No matter where we live, all of us deserve decent homes that keep us warm, dry, safe and connected.
