Do Social Norms Affect Support for Earthquake-Strengthening Legislation? Comparing the Effects of Descriptive and Injunctive Norms

Abstract

Social norms have been successfully applied in health promotion and environmental conservation, but their potential for encouraging natural hazard preparation is relatively untested. This research extends the focus theory of normative conduct to natural hazards and cognitive-behavioral outcomes by examining whether focusing individuals on descriptive and injunctive norms increases their support for earthquake-strengthening legislation in a seismically active city: Wellington, New Zealand. In a large community sample ( N = 690), the injunctive norm condition increased support for the legislation compared with the control, whereas the descriptive norm condition did not. In contrast, the descriptive norm condition raised judgments of the feasibility of the strengthening work compared with the control, whereas the injunctive norm condition did not. These findings support previous research demonstrating the differing effects of descriptive and injunctive forms of normative information, and suggest that using both in the same communication is the best strategy for enhancing support for earthquake-strengthening legislation.

Avoiding Trouble: Exploring Environmental Risk Information Avoidance Intentions.

“…Unfortunately, there is a lack of research into social norms in environmental hazards and earthquake preparedness writ large (Vinnell, Milfont, & McClure, 2019). However, some research indicates that social norms are used in hazard situations to make sense of mitigation and response activities.…”

Consumers' perceived value of healthier eating: A SEM analysis of the internalisation of dietary norms considering perceived usefulness, subjective norms, and intrinsic motivations in Singapore

“…External nudging can appeal to individuals' internal norms highlighting their self‐negotiated standards. It can also lead consumers to follow injunctive norms when their decision‐making mechanisms are in contention with each other or when the desire to do something is lurking in the background (Mahon, Cowan, & McCarthy, 2006; Vinnell, Milfont, & McClure, 2019). This leads to hypothesis 5 (H5).…”

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

“…Even private disaster preparation can be influenced by social pressures. Some studies have already shown that descriptive norms play an essential role in disaster preparation (Kunreuther et al., 1978; Lo, 2013; Morsink & Geurts, 2012; Paek, Hilyard, Freimuth, Barge, & Mindlin, 2010; Vinnell, Milfont, & McClure, 2019).…”