Why policy influencing takes time

Policy change rarely happens overnight. What might seem to be major policy announcements and sometimes even abrupt changes of direction by Governments, are usually the result of long-term and sustained campaigning and influencing behind the scenes.

Take smoking. Back in the 60s, though the evidence overwhelmingly showed that smoking was bad for us, many, many people still smoked, with the result that death rates due to illnesses caused by smoking (cancer and heart disease to name two) were high. Yet now pubs, shops and places of work are smoke free, advertising is banned, and tobacco is concealed behind green shutters in shops. Smoking rates are falling and there is a real possibility that the UK might become a smoke-free nation.

What brought about this success? Small and incremental changes to successive Government’s policy on smoking for the UK have slowly changed the landscape so that policy changes that would have been inconceivable 50 years ago are now seen as normal. For example, while smoking advertising was banned in 1965, it took til 2007 for smoke free places to be introduced.

The same approach might be applied now to the issue of childhood obesity. With over a third of primary school children leaving school either overweight or obese, action needs to be taken. The introduction of the sugary drinks levy in April this year and the school measuring programme now well underway might be the first of many policy changes introduced to tackle this problem. Who knows where we might end up - further taxes on food producers or introducing the daily mile, where all pupils run a mile (natch) in all schools? Today’s report by researchers at the University of Birmingham that interventions in schools do not make much impact on children’s activity levels provides more grist to the mill that changes are required by industry.

Change takes time because Government, industry and public sentiment has to evolve and accept the new policy. And lobbyists and charities need time to gather the evidence and convince their stakeholders of the need for change. Strong evidence, of the efficacy of your policy idea, and that the public are warm to it, is powerful argument for change. If you are struggling to get traction, consider breaking your ask down into smaller wins or consider whether you need to invest in finding robuster, incontrovertible evidence.

Our advice? Keep the faith. The smaller wins might be the first step on the road to the campaign change you desire.