‘Being green is worthless if others are not’: the effect of descriptive norms on pro-environmental behaviour is mediated by outcome expectancy / ‘Ser verde no vale de nada si los demás no lo son’: el efecto de las normas descriptivas sobre el comportamiento proambiental está mediado por la expectativa de resultado

Abstract

Descriptive norm effect has been explained in terms of either normative or informative social influence. This research investigates another possible mechanism in the case of collective goals. Because changing one's behavioure.g., to protect the environmentwill be effective only if other people also change their behaviour, their number will influence the outcome expectancy for that behaviour. Hence, we postulated that the effect of descriptive norm on adoption of a pro-environmental behaviour is mediated by outcome expectancy. Two studies showed that outcome expectancy mediated the effect of descriptive norm on intention to buy an energy-efficient refrigerator only in the case of a collective goal (vs. an individual goal) (Study 1, N = 787), and that the effect of descriptive norm on intention (with respect to a collective goal) can be reversed if an optimal uptake rate is mentioned, this interaction being mediated by outcome expectancy (Study 2, N = 400). These results suggest that the effect of descriptive norm, classically found in studies of pro-environmental behaviours, occurs because it gives people a sense that their action will have an impact.

Local Norms and the Theory of Planned Behavior: Understanding the Effects of Spatial Proximity on Recycling Intentions and Self-Reported Behavior

“…Hence, by observing the behaviors of others sharing the same environment individuals can develop their own idea of the extent to which their own efforts are likely to be effective in contributing to achieve the intended collective goal. Moussaoui and Desrichard (2017) found that this perception can mediate the relationship between descriptive norms and intentions. Studies of household recycling intentions (a behavior that has clear collective goals and implications) by Fornara et al (2011) and Carrus et al (2009) have confirmed the important role of local norms referring to neighbors, but more research is needed to improve the understanding of the nature and functioning of this kind of norms within the TPB framework.…”

Comportamiento Social Y Ambiente: Influencia De Las Normas Sociales en La Conducta Ambiental

“…Concretamente, las personas recibían en sus casas la información sobre su consumo eléctrico, el consumo medio de la población (norma descriptiva) y la valoración de su consumo (norma prescriptiva). Algo parecido al uso de indicadores de logro o metas de éxito asociados a las normas (Corrégé et al, 2017;Moussaoui y Desrichard, 2017).…”

Social nudges for vaccination: How communicating herd behaviour influences vaccination intentions

“…One question of practical relevance would be whether public communication should highlight the threshold value when the coverage is very close or very far from reaching it. In the context of collective goals, some studies suggest that people would be more likely to contribute as a goal nears completion, in part because this provides them with a heightened sense that their action will have an impact (e.g., Cryder, Loewenstein, & Seltman, 2013 ; Moussaoui & Desrichard, 2017 ; see also Anik & Norton, 2020 ).…”