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Social norms and pro-environmental action

Social norms and pro-environmental action. Janet K. Swim, Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University. Norms. Descriptive norms Actual behaviors; Base rates Expectations about average typical behaviors Injunctive norms Behaviors one ought or ideally would do Often have a moral town

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Social norms and pro-environmental action

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  1. Social norms and pro-environmental action Janet K. Swim, Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University

  2. Norms • Descriptive norms • Actual behaviors; Base rates • Expectations about average typical behaviors • Injunctive norms • Behaviors one ought or ideally would do • Often have a moral town • Norms can be personal or social • Group Identification increases the influence of social norms

  3. Following social norms satisfies psychological goals (Cialdini & Trost, 1998) • 1) Effective action: • Doing things accurately • 2) Fitting in: • Gain approval and acceptance of others • 3) Manage self-concept: • Avoid self-conception as being different, deviant, or intransigent.

  4. Social norms and pro-environmental behaviors • Descriptive norms more powerful than • Injunctive norms • Economic gains • True, even though most do not anticipate this (Nolan, Cialdini et al.)

  5. Research questions • Is there evidence for importance of injunctive norms? • Cultural and individual Values as social norms. • Enforcing and following gender role norms • What is the role of interpersonal communication in the transmission, maintenance and changing of social norms?

  6. Culturalvalues Hegemonic values • Unquestioned value structures that support the dominance of particular groups • Hierarchy > egalitarianism • Mastery > harmony • Ecofeminism • Same values that support masculinity (hegemonic masculinity) support dominance of nature

  7. Cultural values Correlation among country level data -.49 Status of women Hegemony: Hierarchy > Egalitarianism Mastery > Harmony .28* Vitality of eco-system -.28 Control for each Nation’s GDP Bloodhart & Swim, 2010

  8. Cultural values • Do countries with different degrees of hegemony have citizens with different degrees of environmental concerns and behaviors? • German versus the United States Swim & Becker, 2012

  9. Cultural values Germany United States B = -.42, p < .05 in SEM

  10. Cultural values Behavioral differences Swim & Becker, 2012

  11. Cultural values Explaining behavioral differences via environmental concerns Egoistic Concerns -.17** -.11* Country 0 = U.S. 1 = Germans Pro-Env behaviors Biospheric concerns .31** .11*

  12. gender role norms

  13. Gender role norms Predicting policy support • Gender differences in environmental concern and pro-environmental attitudes • Consistent with gender role norms • Could lead to greater policy support among women than men • National Opinion Research • Sporadic gender differences • Perhaps policies are gendered?

  14. Gender role norms Gender role consistency • Preference for consistency • Especially in men • Especially when gender and/or gender role norms are important

  15. Gender role norms • Sample 1: • Gender norms: expectations for gender differences in endorsement of 34 policies • Sample 2: • Rate preferences for policies • Complete measures of likelihood to conform to gender role norms • Gender role identity

  16. Gender role norms Results Men: Gender identity Support Policies expected to be endorsed by men more so than endorsed by women Women: Gender identity

  17. Communication of norms 1) Interpersonal communication 2) Social networks

  18. Interpersonal communication Interpersonal communication: • Approving other’s behaviors • Admonishing other’s behaviors • Ignoring other’s behaviors

  19. Interpersonal communication Effect of feedback on subsequent behavior? Stairs Elevators “Oh, you took the elevator? Most people take the stairs. Taking the elevator wastes a lot of electricity and is bad for the environment.” • “I’m glad you took the stairs… most people take the elevator. Taking the stairs saves a lot of electricity and helps the environment.”

  20. Interpersonal communication Dependent measure:Go up stairs Interaction F(1, 207) = 8.48, p = .004 eta = .04

  21. Interpersonal communication Dependent measure:Lights and monitor off(Behavioral spillover) Feedback: p = .09 Behavior down: p = .03

  22. Social Networks Social networking: Work in progress • Sharing knowledge, motivation, and skills • Influence of connection on perceived norms • Networks: Bonding and Bridging within social networks • Eco-reps and energy challenge in residence halls • Friendship and peer networks among employees in Aquariums • Institutionalizing communication in religious organizations via “creation care committees”

  23. Summary/Conclusions • Culture sets the context for defining social norms • E.g., through Cultural values & Gender role norms • Interpersonal processes • Enforce social norms • Anticipate that social network characteristics of individuals & groups will influence perceptions & transmission of social norms

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