Convince Yourself to Do the Right Thing: The Effects of Provided Versus Self-Generated Arguments on Rule Compliance and Perceived Importance of Socially Desirable Behavior

Goal-framing theory and sustainable food choices: Leveraging spillover to activate moral goals

Transitioning to plant-dominant dishes in the growing meal kit delivery market could significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emission footprint of the sector. However, many consumers choose meat-based options without considering plant-based alternatives when ordering food online. This scenario-based survey experiment with 669 consumers tested whether an environmental message between lunch and dinner would increase stated plant-based dinner choices. The findings show that the environmental message significantly increased plant-based dinner selections through two pathways. For consumers who chose a plant-based lunch, the message reinforced their environmental identity, leading to more plant-based dinner choices. The message induced cognitive dissonance for those who chose a meat-based lunch, increasing the likelihood of choosing plant-based dinner options. These results indicate that an environmental message can effectively influence meal choices through different mechanisms, offering a cost-effective strategy for practitioners and policymakers to promote environmentally sustainable dining habits in the online meal kit delivery sector.

You must separate: How perceived importance and language intensity promote waste separation

Waste threatens human health and the environment. How can we persuade people to participate in waste separation? In order to address this challenge, the present experimental study (N = 280) investigated the effects of perceived importance (high, medium, low) and language intensity (assertive, non-assertive) on people's intention to separate waste based on the social influence theory and the value-identity-personal norm model. The results showed that high perceived importance and assertive language were positively and significantly associated with waste separation intention. Furthermore, the mediating analysis revealed that environmental self-identity and personal norm were serial mediators in the relationship between perceived importance and waste separation intention. Therefore, strengthening perceived importance and enhancing internalization processes (environmental self-identity and personal norm) contribute to promoting waste separation intention. The findings of this study provide both theoretical and practical contributions to promote waste separation.