Social norms, which refer to what most people do (descriptive social norms) and what most people approve (injunctive social norms), are remarkably powerful in mobilizing and directing human action. Equally remarkable is how little note people take of this power at two critical decision points: when, as observers they decide how to interpret the causes of their own actions and when, as communicators they decide how to influence the actions of others. It is worth investigating the extent to which social norms can be demonstrated to enhance conservation efforts relative to traditionally employed approaches.
Results/Conclusions Studies in several environmental contexts (e.g., home energy conservation, household recycling, hotel conservation efforts) will be presented to show that (1) energy users severely underestimate the role of social norms in guiding their energy usage, (2) persuasive communications that employ social norms-based appeals for pro-environmental behavior are superior to those that employ traditional appeals, and (3) even though these highly effective social norms-based appeals are nearly costless—requiring no large technological fixes, tax incentives, or regulatory changes—they are rarely delivered. For instance, in one study, San Diego area residents were given one of four messages advocating household energy conservation. Three of the messages employed reasons typically provided to reduce household energy usage: (1) conservation will save the environment, (2) conservation will save you money, and (3) conservation will preserve resources for future generations. The fourth message, which has been rarely if ever employed in the past, simply provided survey-based information demonstrating that it was the neighborhood norm to attempt to conserve energy in the home. That fourth (normative) message generated significantly less energy usage, as measured by meter readings, than any of the other messages, including a control message that merely urged conservation without providing a specific reason. Communicators wishing to reduce energy consumption would be wise to consider harnessing the action-instigating power of normative information to achieve that goal.
