In my community I don’t think much attention is paid to badges, because without a clear/regular reminder of what progression gets them, they are nice, but inconsequential.
This is why I made a suggestion for indicating badges progression on the user’s avatar. Whilst it is already clear who the active and useful contributors are in most forums, such a (small) UX indication may encourage engagement from others.
It might also help if the user could be aware of what they need to progress (as Admin I can see it, don’t think a regular user can).