Any science fiction fan (or just anyone who has seen Back to the Future) knows the first rule of time travel:  Don’t Change Anything.

Seemingly tiny changes can have far-ranging and unknowable effects. Saying hello to your neighbour, taking the lift rather than the stairs: if we believe science fiction, any of these could render the universe unrecognisable.

Even for those of us without time machines, the concept is giddying. Making decisions today means changing the course of the future.

There’s a lot of focus in community development and social care on choice and control: allowing people and communities to decide. It’s a welcome change from centrally planned one-size-fits-all public services. But it’s not enough on its own.

In  a consumerist world, choice is freedom. We’re told that if we don’t like things, we can just choose another option. But anyone who has ever tried to switch their electricity provider knows it’s not that simple.

There’s an implicit message: if you make the wrong decision, it’s your own fault. You’ve made your bed, you can lie in it. It’s paralysing.

Effects of poverty on decision making

Joseph Rowntree Foundation have recently released a report on the effects of poverty on the decision-making process. The study found that, even during temporary periods of economic disadvantage, the ability to weigh up options and come to a decision is impaired. The findings are fascinating & the report is worth reading. 

It’s not surprisingly really. The problem is, the moments when we have to make big life decisions are often the times when we’re least able to do so.  It’s no wonder people feel paralysed, or make snap decisions with negative consequences.

So, what’s the solution? Aside from reducing poverty and inequality, we can start by just being conscious that people might struggle to make decisions.

We can also ensure that, when we ask people what they want from a service or a project, that we properly support the decision making process.

That means that people have to be fully informed. They need to know what the alternatives are. They might want to speak to other people who have made similar choices, to learn from their experiences.

People need time, to think and to ask questions. They need the choices to be  real, achievable options. People need to be able to change their minds.

Choice and control are so important. But we need to properly support decision-making for it to be meaningful.