Distinguishing the sources of normative influence on proenvironmental behaviors

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess whether different kinds of social norms make a distinct contribution and are differently associated to a place-related behavior, such as household waste recycling. The construct of “local norms” is introduced to identify the normative influence that derives from people sharing the same spatial-physical setting. This kind of influence is expected to hold particular relevance when dealing with individual behaviors that have spatially defined collective implications. Participants were 452 residents of various Italian cities, who filled in a questionnaire measuring intentions to recycle, attitudes towards recycling, perceived behavioral control, and 4 kinds of norms stemming from a 2 x 2 combination (i.e., injunctive vs. descriptive, and subjective vs. local norms). Structural equation modelling analyses confirmed the empirical distinction of the 4 kinds of norms, and showed their independent effects on recycling intentions. In particular, descriptive norms (both subjective and local) emerged as powerful predictors of the target proenvironmental behavior, both directly and indirectly through their influence on perceived behavioral control. The implications of the distinction among different kinds of social norms and their relationship with the other dimensions are discussed.

Experiences of pride, not guilt, predict pro-environmental behavior when pro-environmental descriptive norms are more positive

“…Social norms are rules or standards for behavior among members of a group (Sherif, 1965;Turner, 1991) and they can be categorized in two main ways: as injunctive norms (i.e., perceptions of what people ought to do) and descriptive norms (i.e., what people actually do). We focus on descriptive norms in particular in this study, as they have been shown in previous research to predict a variety of pro-environmental behaviors, such as reduced littering (Cialdini, Reno, & Kallgren, 1990), increased recycling (Fornara, Carrus, Passafaro, & Bonnes, 2011;Nigbur, Lyons, & Uzzell, 2010;Schultz, 1999), use of public transport or bicycles rather than personal cars (Kormos, Gifford, & Brown, 2015), and energy conservation (Göckeritz et al, 2010;Nolan, Schultz, Cialdini, Goldstein, & Griskevicius, 2008).…”

“…The current study focused specifically on the moderating role of descriptive norms, because this type of norm has previously been shown to be an important influence on environmental behavior (Cialdini et al, 1990;Fornara et al, 2011;Nolan et al, 2008). It is possible, though, that other norms-such as prescriptive or proscriptive norms-may also moderate the effects of emotions on environmental behavior.…”

Expanding the role for psychology in addressing environmental challenges.

“…Examples include the reduction of water consumption (Bonaiuto et al, 2008), the support of biodiversity conservation policies Carrus et al 2005 (Gifford et al 2009). Local norms affecting specific pro-environmental choices, such as home waste recycling (Fornara et al, 2011) or towel reuse by hotel guests (Goldstein et al, 2008) are also specific to clearly defined locations.…”

Using Web 2.0 and Social Media Technologies to Foster Proenvironmental Action

“…Descriptive norms refer to perceptions of typical behaviors people believe are commonly enacted by others. Descriptive norms also can be tied to a specific social-physical context (e.g., a neighborhood) referred to as descriptive local norms [78,79]. For example, knowing that many neighbors are enrolled in renewable energy programs signals that it is commonplace among residents in a community.…”

“…For instance, the combination of descriptive and injunctive normative messages has been effectively used to deter the pilfering of petrified wood in a national park [70] and increase towel reuse in hotels [80]. Moreover, descriptive local (neighborhood) norms about recycling behaviors are positively and significantly related to recycling intentions [78,79] and behaviors [81].…”