scholarly journals The effectiveness and efficiency of using normative messages to reduce waste: A real world experiment

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0261734
Author(s):  
Gabby Salazar ◽  
João Neves ◽  
Vasco Alves ◽  
Bruno Silva ◽  
Jean-Christophe Giger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Real World ◽  
Human Population ◽  
Injunctive Norm ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Randomized Field Experiment ◽  
Effectiveness And Efficiency ◽  
Normative Message ◽  
Normative Messages

Although they are only home to 16% of the global human population, high-income countries produce approximately one third of the world’s waste, the majority of which goes to landfills. To reduce pressure on landfills and natural systems, environmental messaging should focus on reducing consumption. Messages that signal social norms have the potential to influence people to reduce their consumption of comfort goods, such as straws, which are not a necessity for most people. We conducted a randomized field-experiment at a marine park in Portugal to test whether different normative messages reduced visitors’ paper straw use when compared to non-normative messages. We found that a message framed around a positive injunctive norm significantly reduced straw use compared to a non-normative message. We estimated that using the message at 17 park concession stands could keep over 27500 straws out of landfills annually and save the park money after two years.

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.

Not Registered? Please Sign-up First: A Randomized Field Experiment on the Ex-Ante Registration Request

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ni Huang ◽  
Probal Mojumder ◽  
Tianshu Sun ◽  
Jinchi Lv ◽  
Joseph Golden
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Randomized Field Experiment ◽  
Ex Ante

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.

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