Do Social Norms Affect Support for Earthquake-Strengthening Legislation? Comparing the Effects of Descriptive and Injunctive Norms

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren J. Vinnell ◽  
Taciano L. Milfont ◽  
John McClure
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Behavioral Outcomes ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Focus Theory

Social norms have been successfully applied in health promotion and environmental conservation, but their potential for encouraging natural hazard preparation is relatively untested. This research extends the focus theory of normative conduct to natural hazards and cognitive-behavioral outcomes by examining whether focusing individuals on descriptive and injunctive norms increases their support for earthquake-strengthening legislation in a seismically active city: Wellington, New Zealand. In a large community sample ( N = 690), the injunctive norm condition increased support for the legislation compared with the control, whereas the descriptive norm condition did not. In contrast, the descriptive norm condition raised judgments of the feasibility of the strengthening work compared with the control, whereas the injunctive norm condition did not. These findings support previous research demonstrating the differing effects of descriptive and injunctive forms of normative information, and suggest that using both in the same communication is the best strategy for enhancing support for earthquake-strengthening legislation.

Guilt Enhances the Persuasive Effects of Injunctive But Not Descriptive Social Norms

2020 ◽  
pp. 194855062095058
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Jacobson ◽  
Kathryn J. L. Jacobson ◽  
Allecia E. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
State Level ◽  
Public Service Announcement ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Descriptive Norms ◽  
Norm Violations ◽  
Control Message ◽  
Guilt Proneness

The focus theory of normative conduct asserts that distinct processes are involved in responding to injunctive norms versus descriptive norms. This research tested the prediction that guilt would be more strongly involved in motivating conformity to injunctive than descriptive norms. Study 1 demonstrates that people anticipate feeling guiltier following injunctive than descriptive norm violations. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrate that guilt proneness and state-level guilt enhance the persuasiveness of messages framed with injunctive norms but not control-framed or descriptive norm–framed messages. Finally, Study 4 shows that a guilt-arousing public service announcement is more effective if framed using an injunctive norm than a descriptive norm or a control message. These results augment understanding of the different ways that injunctive and descriptive norms influence behavior and have applied implications for social norms marketing interventions.

scholarly journals 'Welcome' Changes? Descriptive and Injunctive Norms in a Wikipedia Sub-Community

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan T. Morgan ◽  
Anna Filippova
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Normative Influence ◽  
Descriptive Norms ◽  
Online Groups ◽  
Open Collaboration ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Focus Theory

Open online communities rely on social norms for behavior regulation, group cohesion, and sustainability. Research on the role of social norms online has mainly focused on one source of influence at a time, making it difficult to separate different normative influences and understand their interactions. In this study, we use the Focus Theory to examine interactions between several sources of normative influence in a Wikipedia sub-community: local descriptive norms, local injunctive norms, and norms imported from similar sub- communities. We find that exposure to injunctive norms has a stronger effect than descriptive norms, that the likelihood of performing a behavior is higher when both injunctive and descriptive norms are congruent, and that conflicting social norms may negatively impact pro-normative behavior. We contextualize these findings through member interviews, and discuss their implications for both future research on normative influence in online groups and the design of systems that support open collaboration.

scholarly journals Moderasi Norma Sosial dan Keterlibatan Personal terhadap Perilaku Peduli Lingkungan

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Yogi Pambudi ◽  
Ni Putu Pristi Wisuantari
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Environmental Behavior ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Moderation Effect ◽  
Personal Involvement ◽  
The Relationship

Pro-environmental behavior is a solution to overcome environmental problems. Plastic straw waste, which was produced majorly from restaurant’s consumption, has been identified as one of the causes of the environmental damage. This research was conducted to examine the moderation effect of social norms to plastic straw usage among restaurant visitors. The uantitative method was used by using self-report questionnaires to measure descriptive norm, injunctive norm, and personal involvement. Data were collected from 106 respondents whose ages ranged from 18 to 54 years with the proportion of 44% male and 66% female. This study has four hypotheses, namely the injunctive norm moderates the relationship between descriptive norm and pro-environment behavior, personal involvement moderates the relationship between descriptive norm and pro-environmental behavior, descriptive norm moderates the relationship between injunctive norm and pro-environmental behavior, and personal involvement moderates the relationship between injunctive norm and pro-environmental behavior. Statistical analysis using IBM SPSS with the add-on PROCESS Hayes 3.4 was used to test the moderation effect. The study found that there are no significant results from the four hypotheses. Although all hypotheses were not proven, the descriptive norm was proved to have a moderation effect to relationship between the injunctive norm and pro-environmental behavior when the score of descriptive norms is moderate or high. Hence, injunctive norm has potential to increase pro-environment behavior when it is moderated by moderate or high levels of descriptive norm.Keywords: Descriptive norm, injunctive norm, personal involvement, pro- environmental behavior Abstrak: Perilaku peduli lingkungan adalah solusi untuk mengatasi masalah lingkungan. Salah satu penyebab masalah lingkungan dengan begitu banyaknya sampah sedotan plastik. Penelitian ini menguji interaksi moderasi dari norma sosial dan keterlibatan personal terhadap perilaku peduli lingkungan pada pengunjung restoran terkait penggunaan sedotan plastik. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif terhadap 106 responden dengan rentang usia dari 18 – 54 tahun dan proporsi gender pria 44% dan perempuan 66%. Instrumen yang digunakan adalah alat ukur norma deskriptif, norma injungtif, dan keterlibatan personal. Penelitian ini menguji empat hipotesis, yakni; norma injungtif memoderasi norma deskriptif terhadap perilaku peduli lingkungan, keterlibatan personal memoderasi norma deskriptif terhadap perilaku peduli lingkungan, norma deskriptif memoderasi norma injungtif terhadap perilaku peduli lingkungan, dan keterlibatan personal memoderasi norma injungtif terhadap terhadap perilaku peduli lingkungan. Analisis statistik menggunakan IBM SPSS dengan add-on PROCESS Hayes 3.4 untuk melihat efek moderasi tersebut. Hasilnya, keempat hipotesis tidak terbukti. Meskipun keempat hipotesis ditolak tetapi norma deskriptif, ketika berada nilai moderat dan tinggi, memiliki pengaruh interaksi dalam memoderasi peran norma injungtif terhadap perilaku peduli lingkungan, Sehingga norma injungtif yang dimoderasi oleh norma deskriptif berpotensi untuk meningkatkan perilaku peduli lingkungan.

scholarly journals Making Energy Saving Normal: An Energy-Saving Intervention Based on the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Moshontz
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Impact Behavior ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Theoretical Interest ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Reed College ◽  
Saving Behavior ◽  
Influence Behavior ◽  
Focus Theory

This thesis is an exploration of a norm-based energy-saving intervention for possible implementation at Reed College. According to the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct, there are two distinct types of social norms that influence behavior: information about what ought to be done and information about what others typically do. In addition, these norms only impact behavior to the extent that each is salient. Previous research has shown that making both of these kinds of normative information salient can encourage pro-environmental behavior, but few studies have attempted to use them in conjunction in order to create maximal behavior change. The present study tested the effectiveness of simple injunctive and descriptive norm salience manipulations at getting people to turn a bathroom light off after washing their hands. The descriptive norm manipulation – whether the light was on or off initially – influenced participants’ energy-saving behavior, but the injunctive norm manipulation – a posted sign – did not. Secondary variables of theoretical interest such as self-monitoring, and individuals’ beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral habits were assessed, but results were inconclusive. Based on the present study, it seems that getting others to turn the bathroom light off when theyleave is simply a matter turning them off before they arrive.

scholarly journals Making Energy Saving Normal: An Energy-Saving Intervention Based on the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Moshontz
Keyword(s):  
Energy Saving ◽  
Impact Behavior ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Theoretical Interest ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Reed College ◽  
Saving Behavior ◽  
Influence Behavior ◽  
Focus Theory

This thesis is an exploration of a norm-based energy-saving intervention for possible implementation at Reed College. According to the Focus Theory of Normative Conduct, there are two distinct types of social norms that influence behavior: information about what ought to be done and information about what others typically do. In addition, these norms only impact behavior to the extent that each is salient. Previous research has shown that making both of these kinds of normative information salient can encourage pro-environmental behavior, but few studies have attempted to use them in conjunction in order to create maximal behavior change. The present study tested the effectiveness of simple injunctive and descriptive norm salience manipulations at getting people to turn a bathroom light off after washing their hands. The descriptive norm manipulation – whether the light was on or off initially – influenced participants’ energy-saving behavior, but the injunctive norm manipulation – a posted sign – did not. Secondary variables of theoretical interest such as self-monitoring, and individuals’ beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral habits were assessed, but results were inconclusive. Based on the present study, it seems that getting others to turn the bathroom light off when theyleave is simply a matter turning them off before they arrive.

Talk the talk, but walk the walk: what do we know about marital demography and corporate greenwashing?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-42
Author(s):  
Xingqiang Du ◽  
Quan Zeng ◽  
Ying Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Divorce Rate ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Chinese Stock Market ◽  
Positive Relation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Sensitivity Tests ◽  
Unfavorable Attitude

Abstract Using a sample of 21,628 firm-year observations from the Chinese stock market during the period of 2008–2017, this study finds that the divorce–marriage ratio, the proxy for marital demography, is significantly positively associated with corporate greenwashing. This finding suggests that higher divorce–marriage ratio is associated with stronger individualistic social atmosphere, lower conformity to social norms, and more unfavorable attitude towards environmental conservation, abets firms to talk the talk rather than walk the walk, and foments corporate greenwashing. Moreover, China's Environmental Protection Law attenuates above positive relation. Lastly, our conclusions are robust to sensitivity tests using the divorce rate, alternative proxies for greenwashing, and individual-level divorce data, and further our findings are also valid after addressing the endogeneity issue.

scholarly journals Crafting Normative Messages to Protect the Environment

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Cialdini
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Adolescent Suicide ◽  
Injunctive Norms ◽  
Descriptive Norms ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
Alcohol And Drug Use ◽  
Normative Appeals ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages

It is widely recognized that communications that activate social norms can be effective in producing societally beneficial conduct. Not so well recognized are the circumstances under which normative information can backfire to produce the opposite of what a communicator intends. There is an understandable, but misguided, tendency to try to mobilize action against a problem by depicting it as regrettably frequent. Information campaigns emphasize that alcohol and drug use is intolerably high, that adolescent suicide rates are alarming, and—most relevant to this article—that rampant polluters are spoiling the environment. Although these claims may be both true and well intentioned, the campaigns' creators have missed something critically important: Within the statement “Many people are doing this undesirable thing” lurks the powerful and undercutting normative message “Many people are doing this.” Only by aligning descriptive norms (what people typically do) with injunctive norms (what people typically approve or disapprove) can one optimize the power of normative appeals. Communicators who fail to recognize the distinction between these two types of norms imperil their persuasive efforts.

scholarly journals A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 472-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noah J. Goldstein ◽  
Robert B. Cialdini ◽  
Vladas Griskevicius
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Environmental Conservation

Sitting through life? Psychosocial Antecedents of Sedentary Behaviour in a Post-Secondary Setting

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Calderhead
Keyword(s):  
Sedentary Behaviour ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Secondary Purpose ◽  
Setting Theory ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages

Currently, there is a paucity of research on the psychosocial antecedents of sedentary behaviour (SB) in a post-secondary setting. Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs may influence sedentary behaviour amongst students. Further, normative messages may be one tool for altering perceptions of sedentary behaviour. However, the effect of descriptive norm messages on sedentary behaviour is currently unknown. The primary purpose of this study is to examine students’ perceptions of sedentary behaviour; the secondary purpose is to investigate whether the receipt of a normative message is an efficacious tool for reducing students’ sedentary behaviour. Post-secondary students will complete an online questionnaire and will randomly receive an injunctive norm, descriptive norm, or control sedentary behaviour message. The questionnaire will measure demographics, TPB constructs, and self-reported SB. One week later, they will complete the same questionnaire. Multiple regression and ANOVAs will be used to address the two study purposes, respectively. Results may inform future interventions aimed at decreasing students’ sedentary behaviour levels.

scholarly journals The breakdown of antiracist norms: A natural experiment on hate speech after terrorist attacks

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (37) ◽  
pp. 22800-22804
Author(s):  
Amalia Álvarez-Benjumea ◽  
Fabian Winter
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Field Experiment ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Minority Groups ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Descriptive Norm ◽  
Attitudinal Changes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Strong Norm

Terrorist attacks often fuel online hate and increase the expression of xenophobic and antiminority messages. Previous research has focused on the impact of terrorist attacks on prejudiced attitudes toward groups linked to the perpetrators as the cause of this increase. We argue that social norms can contain the expression of prejudice after the attacks. We report the results of a combination of a natural and a laboratory-in-the-field (lab-in-the-field) experiment in which we exploit data collected about the occurrence of two consecutive Islamist terrorist attacks in Germany, the Würzburg and Ansbach attacks, in July 2016. The experiment compares the effect of the terrorist attacks in hate speech toward refugees in contexts where a descriptive norm against the use of hate speech is evidently in place to contexts in which the norm is ambiguous because participants observe antiminority comments. Hate toward refugees, but not toward other minority groups, increased as a result of the attacks only in the absence of a strong norm. These results imply that attitudinal changes due to terrorist attacks are more likely to be voiced if norms erode.

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