Social norms and environmental behavior
How can social norms be used to support environmental behavior without producing backfire effects?
This idea gathers work on towel reuse, energy consumption, littering, and social proof. A key theme is that descriptive norms can either improve or worsen behavior depending on whether they make desirable or undesirable behavior salient.
Possible study designs:
- Compare descriptive norms, injunctive norms, combined norm messages, and neutral information.
- Test whether cleaner environments reduce littering by changing perceived norms.
- Examine whether norm messages work differently when the baseline behavior is already better than average.
- Design cognitively accessible sustainability interventions that reduce friction rather than relying on moral exhortation.
Key references to organize:
- Goldstein, Cialdini, and Griskevicius (2008) on hotel towel reuse.
- Schultz, Nolan, Cialdini, Goldstein, and Griskevicius (2007) on constructive and destructive norm effects.
- Cialdini, Reno, and Kallgren (1990) on normative conduct and littering.
- Dur and Vollaard (2015) on bad examples and garbage disposal.
Key risks:
- Norm interventions can normalize undesirable behavior if poorly framed.
- Sustainability behavior is often constrained by infrastructure, cost, and habit.
Related ideas: