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Schorn A. Why should I when no one else does? A review of social norm appeals to promote sustainable minority behavior. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1415529. [PMID: 39323588 PMCID: PMC11423424 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1415529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Social norm appeals have been proven successful in promoting sustainable behavior that most people engage in. However, research on the effectiveness of social norm appeals in promoting sustainable behavior performed by a numerical minority of people is lacking. This systematic review aimed to examine empirical studies that applied social norm appeals and to elaborate on how social norm appeals could be effectively designed to foster sustainable minority behaviors. Thirty-six articles, including 54 studies, applying social norm interventions to promote sustainable minority behavior were compiled and discussed, with a particular focus on the methodology and operationalization of social norm appeals. The results showed that static descriptive minority social norm appeals might not be effective in promoting sustainable behavior. Nevertheless, there appeared to be differences depending on the strength of the norm and the environmental attitudes of the population. However, using injunctive and dynamic descriptive social norm appeals appear promising approaches because these appeals are less prone to undesirable effects. Nevertheless, it could be problematic if injunctive and descriptive social norm appeals are not aligned, but results are inconclusive. For practitioners, emphasizing social change and highlighting majority approval are simple, low-cost strategies with great potential to induce compliance and encourage sustainable minority behavior without running the risk of backfire effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schorn
- Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Schorn A, Wirth W. They approve but they don't act: promoting sustainable minority behavior with (conflicting) social norm appeals. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1337585. [PMID: 38988390 PMCID: PMC11233761 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1337585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Social norm appeals are effective in promoting sustainable majority behavior but could backfire when the target behavior is only performed by a minority of people. However, emphasizing that an increasing number of people have started engaging in the behavior or that the majority approve the behavior might prevent such negative effects. However, only a few studies have investigated the combination of descriptive minority and injunctive majority social norm appeals, with inconsistent results. Some studies of minority behavior suggest that the characteristics of recipients might determine the inconsistent results regarding the impact of minority social norm appeals and that social norm appeals could have a greater impact on individuals with weaker environment related dispositions. Method Two two-wave studies investigated how descriptive minority appeals, injunctive majority appeals, and their combination can be used to motivate sustainable minority behavior and what role environment related dispositions play in this context. In the first part, perceived social norms, environment related dispositions, behavioral intentions, and pre-attitudes were measured. Two weeks later, respondents participated in a 3 (descriptive social norm appeal: static vs. dynamic vs. absent) × 2 (injunctive majority social norm appeal: present vs. absent) between-subjects experiment and watched an explainer video on voluntary carbon offsets that included various social norm appeals. Results In both studies, we found that social norm appeals influenced perceived social norms. However, persuasive effects were only observed in the first study, and an injunctive majority appeal increased persuasive outcomes, but there were no differences between the descriptive conditions and no differences in their impact depending on individuals' environment related dispositions in either study. Discussion A single exposure may be insufficient to exert persuasive effects and the change in perceived social norms may first need to be internalized. In online explainer videos, the effects of social norm appeals could be amplified by algorithm-based suggestions and when social norm appeals draw attention to norm-conforming content. However, further research is required on the long-term effects and their possible amplification via social media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Schorn
- Department of Communication and Media Research, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
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Xiao X, Zhan Y, Zhong Y. Be a Rascal Among Rascal? The Vicarious Moral Self-Regulation Effect in College Students' Pro-Environmental Behaviors. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2023; 16:2913-2929. [PMID: 37551394 PMCID: PMC10404441 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s414341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose According to social interaction theory, the psychology and behavior of individuals are influenced by others, especially these significant or intimate others. This classical social phenomenon, "Be a rascal among rascal", which explains the influence of others' behavior on an individual's behavior, has also been observed in pro-environmental behavior. In recent years, environmental psychologists have termed this interesting phenomenon as the "vicarious moral self-regulation effect", in which the prior environmental behavior of significant or intimate others influences an individual's subsequent environmental behavior. However, the stability and psychological mechanisms of the vicarious moral self-regulation effect are still not well understood. Therefore, this study aims to verify the vicarious moral self-regulation effect in pro-environmental behavior through four studies. Methods and Results In Study 1, 90 participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups (a stronger green credentials manipulation, a weaker green credentials manipulation, or a control group about a close friend), and results showed that participants in both stronger and less green credential groups made fewer carbon-neutral choices than those in the control group in the carbon emissions task. In Study 2 (120 participants), compared to the control group, participants in the group imagining both environmentally friendly and unfriendly behavior of close friends made fewer carbon-neutral choices. This finding also was observed in Study 3 (93 participants), where participants under the group of free recalling both environmentally friendly and unfriendly behavior of close friends made fewer green purchasing choices. In Study 4 (75 participants), compared to the control group, participants in the group of both imagining and free recalling the environmentally friendly behavior of a close friend made fewer carbon-neutral choices, and participants in the group of both imagining and free recalling the environmentally unfriendly behavior of close friend made fewer green purchasing choices. Conclusion Results suggest that the environmentally friendly behavior of a close friend induces the vicarious moral licensing effect (those who handle vermilion are not reddened), and the environmentally unfriendly behavior of a close friend induces the vicarious moral identity effect (those who touch ink are blackened). Environmental behaviors of intimate others induce the obvious fluctuating changes in college students' subsequent pro-environmental behaviors. This vicarious moral self-regulation effect can be explained by the mechanism of self-other overlap and provide scientific references for promoting pro-environmental behaviors among college students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Xiao
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, People’s Republic of China
- Mental Health Education Center, Hunan First Normal University, Changsha, 410205, People’s Republic of China
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Changsha, 410081, People’s Republic of China
| | - Youlong Zhan
- Department of Psychology, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, 411201, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yiping Zhong
- Department of Psychology, School of Education Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, People’s Republic of China
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Changsha, 410081, People’s Republic of China
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Ling M, Xu L, Chu X. Heterogeneous effects of other-regarding interventions on household recycling: A field experimental study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 329:117102. [PMID: 36549057 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral interventions that address other-regarding motivations (i.e., other-regarding interventions) are gaining momentum as promising tools to stimulate household recycling. However, previous studies have shown considerable variability in the impact of such strategies, and the factors that moderate treatment effects remain poorly studied. Using a field experiment with 7195 households in Quzhou, China, this study investigated treatment effect heterogeneity systematically based on intervention types, treatment durations, personal motivations, and social networks. Three strategies were examined, including biospheric and altruistic appeals and personalized normative feedback. We found that normative feedback outperformed other strategies in inducing household participation in recycling, that the influences of all strategies attenuated over time, and that the feedback effect was greater among recipients with weaker biospheric or altruistic concerns and those embedded within stronger neighbor networks. However, no significant treatment effects were found on the amount of waste recycled. These findings improve the understanding of the heterogeneous impact of other-regarding interventions, with important implications for the design of recycling policies. Future studies need to explore additional moderators and the effects of treatment combinations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maoliang Ling
- School of Public Administration, Zhejiang Gongshang University, 18 Xuezheng Road, Hangzhou, 310018, China.
| | - Lin Xu
- School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Institute for Public Policy of Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
| | - Xiaojing Chu
- School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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Harrington R, Nugier A, Khamzina K, Guimond S, Monceau S, Streith M. Understanding individual and collective response to climate change: The role of a self-other mismatch. Front Psychol 2022; 13:935209. [PMID: 36248440 PMCID: PMC9558113 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.935209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Several scientists have shown the importance of mitigating global warming and have highlighted a need for major social change, particularly when it comes to meat consumption and collective engagement. In the present study (N = 486), we conducted a cross-sectional study to test the mismatch model, which aims at explaining what motivates individuals to participate in normative change. This model stipulates that perceiving a self—other difference in pro-environmental attitudes is the starting point and can motivate people to have high pro-environmental intentions. This mismatch effect is explained by participants’ willingness to participate in normative and social change: people that perceive a gap between their personal attitude and the social norm should be more willing to participate in normative change. This should then motivate them to have high pro-environmental intentions on an individual and group level. The results confirm the hypothesized model on an individual and group level and explain how people can be motivated to participate in normative change. Implications of these findings and the need for further studies are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosie Harrington
- LAPSCO (Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive), Université Clermont Auvergne et CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- *Correspondence: Rosie Harrington,
| | - Armelle Nugier
- LAPSCO (Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive), Université Clermont Auvergne et CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Armelle Nugier,
| | - Kamilla Khamzina
- PSITEC-ULR 4072, Psychologie: Interactions, Temps, Emotions, Cognition, Lille, France
| | - Serge Guimond
- LAPSCO (Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive), Université Clermont Auvergne et CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Sophie Monceau
- LAPSCO (Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive), Université Clermont Auvergne et CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Michel Streith
- LAPSCO (Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive), Université Clermont Auvergne et CNRS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Lalot F, Gollwitzer PM, Quiamzade A, Oettingen G. Boosted by closure! Regulatory focus predicts motivation and task persistence in the aftermath of task‐unrelated goal closure. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.2877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Lalot
- Faculty of Psychology University of Basel Basel Switzerland
- School of Psychology University of Kent Canterbury UK
| | - Peter M. Gollwitzer
- Department of Psychology New York University New York USA
- Department of Psychology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Alain Quiamzade
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences University of Geneva Geneva Switzerland
- Distance Learning University of Switzerland Brig Switzerland
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Lundquist S. Explaining events of strong decoupling from CO 2 and NO x emissions in the OECD 1994-2016. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148390. [PMID: 34171806 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Decoupling economic growth from emissions is vital to achieve the environmental targets postulated by the Paris agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. This paper analyzes a set of factors that have the potential to increase the rate of emissions decoupling in 35 OECD countries 1994-2016. It takes on an encompassing approach focusing on emissions decoupling from two pollutant types carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) as well as emissions decoupling from both production-and consumption-based CO2 emissions. Drawing on existing research six key driving factors of emissions decoupling are derived and empirically tested. The paper contributes theoretically by widening the understanding of potential drivers of decoupling, as the six derived factors are not generally analyzed in conjunction. The paper is methodologically innovative in its use of event history models to analyze the significance of the explanatory factors in increasing the rate of emissions decoupling. The paper results in three main findings. One the paper provide empirical evidence of emissions decoupling across all analyzed countries and across all pollutant measures. Two, the paper shows that countries experience recurring instances of decoupling. Third, factors related to green technologies can increase the rate of decoupling both for different emission types and for emissions accounted for as production-and consumption-based.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanna Lundquist
- Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
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Khamzina K, Huet S, Deffuant G, Streith M, Guimond S. Making the planet green again: The interplay of attitudes and group norms in the conversion to organic farming. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kamilla Khamzina
- Laboratory ACTé Université Clermont‐Auvergne France
- Laboratory LAPSCO Université Clermont‐Auvergne France
| | | | | | | | - Serge Guimond
- Laboratory LAPSCO Université Clermont‐Auvergne France
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Nolan JM. Social norm interventions as a tool for pro-climate change. Curr Opin Psychol 2021; 42:120-125. [PMID: 34280794 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Social norms interventions (SNIs) are a robust and widely used tool for addressing climate change. SNIs targeting second-order climate beliefs can be used to correct normative misperceptions, close the partisan gap, and increase support for climate policy. They can also be harnessed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by targeting behaviors such as home energy conservation. A large body of current research supports the effectiveness of the SNI and provides guidance for how to optimize outreach and promote climate-relevant behaviors that are currently performed by only a minority of people.
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Tam K, Leung AK, Clayton S. Research on climate change in social psychology publications: A systematic review. ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ajsp.12477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kim‐Pong Tam
- The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong China
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Climate change and intergroup relations: Psychological insights, synergies, and future prospects. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/1368430217747750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is often conceived as a technical challenge, requiring smart policies and science-driven solutions. Yet, as revealed by each new round of international negotiations, and by growing (rather than receding) partisan divides on climate change in the United States, climate change is also profoundly social: How people understand and engage with the issue is powerfully influenced by the responses of others, including members of ingroups and outgroups. This special issue brings together research and theory that shed light on new and understudied group and intergroup dimensions of climate change. The featured articles showcase the breadth of social psychological processes (e.g., social identity and categorization processes, intergroup perceptions, normative influence, justice concerns, and group-based ideologies) relevant to the study of climate change while highlighting how the problem’s shared, global relevance poses unique questions and opportunities for the field. We explore the contributions of these articles to the social psychological study of climate change and highlight new challenges and pathways forward.
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