The Hassle Factor as a Psychological Barrier to a Green Home

Abstract

In order to reach climate goals, policymakers stimulate homeowners to invest in sustainable measures in and around their house. Unfortunately, however, the number of green home measures lacks behind. This article introduces perceived hassle as an important reason for this shortfall. It is claimed that homeowners perceive hassle during different stages of their (customer) journey towards a green home; the awareness stage, the consideration stage, and the decision stage. It is further theorized that people delay taking green home measures in order to avoid the anticipated stress caused by the accumulation of these hassles. Exploring the hassle factor as a psychological barrier to a green home can advance the successful implementation of policies that stimulate sustainable housing. On the one hand, our insights can help homeowners to overcome their obstacles to invest in green measures. On the other hand, they can help policymakers to improve their policies. It suggests de-hassling policy interventions and discusses their effectiveness.

The desirability of transitions in demand: Incorporating behavioural and societal transformations into energy modelling

“…Nevertheless, to date, only limited attention has been paid to the demand side of energy transition. Recent, yet scarce, examples of research in the demand side include the multiple dimensions of structural changes [15] ; the role and readiness of individuals and households [16] ; psychological barriers at the household level [17] , the importance of social innovation and systemic forms of social change [18] ; challenges of energy sufficiency [19] and living within planetary boundaries; social justice [20] and gender aspects [21] .…”

Public Communication as a Tool to Implement Environmental Policies

“…At the end of the documentary viewers are referred to a website that provides the opportunity to donate money to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF, the initiator of the documentary). But getting to the right webpage is not so easy, preventing viewers from taking action (e.g., De Vries et al., ). Moreover, it may be unclear to viewers how donating money to WWF will contribute to resolving climate change.…”

“…A recent literature review on the impact of the perceived inconvenience of sustainable choices among homeowners suggests that informational complexity leads to inaction because of stress (De Vries et al., ). “Hassle”—as the authors called the perceived inconvenience—is a microstressor related to “effort” (e.g., Gatersleben, Steg, & Vlek, ).…”

“…It stems from communications that are difficult to read, understand, and remember. The more hassle people perceive, the more they suffer from it, leading to stress and ultimately to inaction (De Vries et al., ).…”

“…However, the effectiveness of public communication as a behavior‐change tool across a broad audience is contested. Recent research on sustainable behavior among homeowners suggests that even when people are environmentally educated and willing to act sustainably, they may still fail to adapt their behavior because they anticipate inconveniences and experience other psychological barriers to changing their behavior (De Vries, Rietkerk, & Kooger, ). Investigating these barriers—and exploring ways to reduce them—may help policymakers achieve the behavioral goals set in climate agreements.…”