If many people currently engage in a behavior, others are likely to follow suit. The current article extends research on these descriptive norms to examine the unique effect of trending norms: norms in which the number of people engaging in a behavior is increasing—and even if this is only among a minority of people: trending minority norms. The current research shows people conform more to these trending minority norms than a minority norm alone, or a no norm control condition—even though the norms addressed behaviors that differed from the target behavior. This demonstrates a distinct effect of trends and a strategy for leveraging normative information to increase conformity to behaviors not yet performed by a majority. Findings support that this increased conformity emerges because people predict the increase in prevalence will continue. An internal meta-analysis examining all data we collected on this topic supports these conclusions.

Managing demand for energy is becoming increasingly important for efforts to shift toward more sustainable lifestyles. Managing demand for energy involves changes in human behaviour, and can be achieved through more efficient uses of technology, and through conservation. Feedback is often cited as a critical tool to promote energy conservation and efficiency, but recent studies in behavioural science suggest that feedback alone may not be enough to promote lasting changes in behaviour. As an alternative, recent studies have shown the effectiveness of providing residents with normative feedback, rather than simple personal feedback. The current study analyses the impact of real-time feedback on residential electricity consumption over a two-year period. Results showed that when framed as a social comparison, feedback resulted in long-term reductions in household electricity consumption. Importantly, greater reductions were observed for households that identified more strongly with the normative referent group. Theoretical implications of the findings for behavioural science and the corresponding practical implications for fostering long-term sustainable behaviours are discussed.

Coupling social norms and commitments: Testing the underdetected nature of social influence 1.1 Introduction The onslaught of diverse and pressing environmental problems-from losses of natural habitat, species, and potable water, to a changing climate and a rapidly growing human population-necessitates empirically derived solutions. Because environmental problems chiefly stem from human behavior, environmental psychologists have much to contribute as specialists in the development and assessment of pro-environmental interventions. Nearly four decades of research investigating the factors driving conservation behavior have produced an array of demand management strategies tailored to specific populations and contexts (Schultz, 2014). Normative information is a long-studied social influence strategy in social and environmental psychology that has been especially successful at promoting conservation

No abstract

No abstract