Effectiveness and context dependency of social norm interventions: five field experiments on nudging pro-environmental and pro-social behavior

• Published in: Frontiers in psychology Vol. 15; p. 1392296
• Main Authors: Mundt, Daria, Batzke, Marlene C L, Bläsing, Thanee M, Gomera Deaño, Sandro, Helfers, Anna
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 26.06.2024
• Subjects: behavioral change; descriptive norm; field experiment; injunctive norm; Psychology; social norms; waste reduction; descriptive norm; proscriptive norm; injunctive norm; waste reduction; behavioral change; prescriptive norm; field experiment; social norms
• ISSN: 1664-1078; 1664-1078
• DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1392296

Social norm interventions hold the potential to change people's behavior. Five field experiments (  = 1,163) examined the effects of a simple and easily realizable social norm nudge based on the social media format "Be like Bill." The nudge consisted of a stick figure named Toni that communicated descriptive and injunctive norms regarding pro-environmental or pro-social behaviors. Nudge conditions were compared to no-intervention control conditions. Experiment 1 (  = 179) focused on paper towel consumption in a women's restroom at a German university. The nudge condition used less paper towels than the control condition,  = 0.48. Experiment 2 (  = 183) replicated this result (  = 0.32) in a more diverse setting of a women's restroom at a German Christmas market. Experiment 3 (  = 250) examined differences in the effects of prescriptive (i.e., 'do-norm') versus proscriptive (i.e., 'do not-norm') social norms on paper towel consumption again in a university women's restroom. The effectiveness of both social norm nudge conditions was shown in comparison to the control condition (  = 0.46;  = 0.40), while the prescriptive and proscriptive social norm manipulations did not differ. Experiment 4 (  = 206) applied the nudging approach to the use of plastic lids in a coffee shop, where no effect was found. Finally, Experiment 5 (  = 345) focused on the pro-social behavior of mask wearing in a bakery toward the end of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in Germany. In the nudge condition, more visitors put on face masks compared to the control group,  = 0.39. Limitations and contextual factors regarding the applicability of our social norm nudge are discussed.