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Studies on donor behaviour have shown that it only functions if the donor can expect not to be taken advantage of. Donations are therefore based on trust and this can be established through the representation and involvement of a cooperation partner, in this case the City of Zurich. Studies from Switzerland, among others by my cooperation partner Stiftung Risiko Dialog, have just shown that the state – also in the Corona pandemic – enjoys great trust. With the legal form of the cooperative as data owner, trust can be fostered through co-determination over the use of the data.

Based on further research and the study of psychological theories in the field of motivation, prosocial behaviour, psychological distance and abstraction, among others, I believe it is important to involve the population to avoid defensiveness and motivate them to act. To this purpose, a reciprocal relationship could be created between data users, i.e. the city of Zurich, and data donors, i.e. the population, so that the population gets in return something in the form of smaller projects that it finances and implements if needed.

In a participation process of the city of Zurich (2022), it has been shown that the population wants, among other things, co-decision rights and the promotion of citizen-initiated projects with regard to urban planning and climate change. This requires new decision-making processes and engagement.

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The app would give data donors the opportunity to support specific projects for a certain period of time in return for their data. One such project could be upgrading the neighborhood with better or new bike lanes, trees, playgrounds, parks, a bike repair/wash, bike racks, etc. The bigger the project would be, the more data would have to be donated over a longer period of time. This couldalso be used to motivate the population itself to donate data. There would also be smaller projects with a short donation period, which could then be implemented quickly. In this way, the results are visible more quickly, which increases the willingness of users to use data donation via the platform in the longer term.

It should also be possible to initiate projects oneself in order to let the population become part of the whole, thus increasing motivation and acceptance and reducing reactance.

An other aspect of benefit for the data donor is the visualisation of their own data, which can bring benefit through reflection. The app would not require behaviour change, but self-reflection can have a climate-positive effect by showing users how they are moving. A CO2 and calorie counter could encourage users to choose a sustainable form of mobility. This data could also be compared with others, e.g. by showing what the average citizen consumes in emissions or which mode of transport they use most.

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