A meta-analysis of field-experiments using social norms to promote pro-environmental behaviors

Bergquist, Magnus; Nilsson, Andréas; Schultz, Wesley

doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101941

Cited by 133 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 144 publications

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“…Respondents who did more for pollinators were characterised by (in order of importance) having a greater diversity of interactions with nature, feeling better able to help pollinators (perceived behavioural control), having more positive attitudes towards pollinators, having greater knowledge of pollinators and how to help them (aspects of behavioural control), perceiving a greater social pressure to help pollinators (subjective norm) and identifying more strongly as an environmentalist (Hypothesis 1). These findings, including subjective norm being a relatively weaker predictor, are in‐line with reviews of factors predicting pro‐environmental behaviour in the TPB (Armitage & Conner, 2001) and other socio‐psychological models (Bergquist et al., 2019; Klöckner, 2013). Notably, knowledge was far less important than people's perceptions and other socio‐psychological factors, and many people did not carry out pollinator conservation actions which they knew would help.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Socio‐psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement in pollinator conservation

et al. 2020

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Socio‐psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement in pollinator conservation

et al. 2020

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“…The finding might be further explained by the income gap between east and west China. Although the expected financial benefit seems be important to household energy-saving intention, the qualitative analysis result is in line with Bergquist et al (2019) and De Dominicis et al (2019), who noted that social motives are more influential in pro-environmental intentions than financial motives [78,79]. Therefore, policymakers may consider encouraging household energy conservation with monetary benefits.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Psychological and Demographic Factors Affecting Household Energy-Saving Intentions: A TPB-Based Study in Northwest China

et al. 2020

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Changing energy consumption behavior is a promising strategy to enhance household energy efficiency and to reduce carbon emission. Understanding the role of psychological and demographic factors in the context of energy-conservation behaviors is critical to promote energy-saving behaviors in buildings. This study first proposes a theoretical framework built on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Based on the collected survey data from 207 families (553 residents) in three communities in Xi’an, a typical city in northwest China, the research examines how three standard TPB predictors, namely attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, as well as their interactive effects and three socio-demographic factors (i.e., house ownership, education and household income) influence building occupants’ energy-saving intention at home. Through structural equation modeling and keyword analysis, this study reveals that two interaction terms, namely attitude and subjective norms, as well as attitude and perceived behavior control, significantly influence building occupants’ energy-saving intention. Furthermore, this study implies that household income may positively associate with occupants’ energy-saving intention. The model in this study would be conducive to architects and property managers to mitigate severe building energy overuse problem in design and operation stages. Based on a qualitative analysis, the study then discusses the limitations of the study and further research direction. The results of this study would be conducive to building designers and operators to develop customized architectural or informatic interventions and to mitigate the severe energy overuse problem in the residential sector in northwest China.

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“…This previous empirical difference between individualistic and collectivistic cultures bolsters our results that suggest that the descriptive norms directly influenced U.S. participants, but attitudes moderated this effect in Japanese participants. Furthermore, Bergquist et al (2019) indicated that social norms were more influential for those living in individualistic countries than in collectivistic countries, contrary to their initial assumption.…”

Section: Explanation Of the Inconsistent Resultsmentioning

confidence: 70%

When Descriptive Norms Backfire: Attitudes Induce Undesirable Consequences during Disaster Preparation

Ozaki

Nakayachi

2020

Anal Soc Iss & Public Policy

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This study aimed to examine the adverse effects of descriptive norms in the context of disaster preparation, although the cumulative evidence has demonstrated that descriptive norms desirably promote social behavior. Descriptive norms inevitably inform that some people do not prepare; therefore, the secondary meaning can be utilized to confirm the receiver's already possessed attitudes, and it results in a backfire. We conducted two preregistered experiments examining preparation behaviors for natural disasters while manipulating descriptive norms. In Study 1 (N = 262), the only promotive effect of descriptive norms was obtained among U.S. participants. In Study 2 (N = 329), when replicated with a sample of Japanese participants, participants' attitudes moderated the effects of descriptive norms. The patterns of moderation were consistent with our prediction and suggested that descriptive norms suppressed the desirable behavior when participants held negative attitudes. The pitfalls of descriptive normative approaches are also practically important.

show abstract

A meta-analysis of field-experiments using social norms to promote pro-environmental behaviors

Cited by 133 publications

References 144 publications

Socio‐psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement in pollinator conservation

Socio‐psychological factors, beyond knowledge, predict people’s engagement in pollinator conservation

Psychological and Demographic Factors Affecting Household Energy-Saving Intentions: A TPB-Based Study in Northwest China

When Descriptive Norms Backfire: Attitudes Induce Undesirable Consequences during Disaster Preparation

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