At Surgo, we integrate behavioral science and artificial intelligence to create precise solutions to social and health problems. When the world suddenly confronted a deadly pandemic, we decided to dedicate all our energy to COVID-19.
Countering this crisis requires all of us to change our behavior. We are working to understand which internal and external factors are influencing people’s actions, from healthcare workers to individual citizens. With such knowledge, we can empower policy makers and health leaders to issue more effective communications, informed decisions, and precise interventions. Here are some of the projects we are now working on:
How to effectively persuade people to practice social distancing? People choose to act or not act for different reasons. We are partnering with Aysha Keisler and IPSOS to survey Americans to understand what is driving their behavior and what messages and interventions would be most persuasive to which segments of the population.
How are healthcare providers feeling? We are tracking Tweets in real-time to keep a pulse on their struggles and pain points.
Which Americans are most vulnerable? We are taking the CDC’s social vulnerability index and using Google analytics to go beyond the factors we know by overlaying what people are feeling, believing, and doing.
Our aim is to provide precise data to help fight this outbreak, and we will have more to share in the coming weeks. We welcome your feedback and ideas for collaboration.