Descriptive Norm Message Research Articles

Testing the effect of descriptive dynamic social norm messages on meatless food purchases in Aotearoa New Zealand and UK university food outlets

A reduction in meat consumption is urgently needed to address multiple harms related to the environment, animal welfare, and human health. Social norm interventions have been found to be feasible and effective at shifting consumer behaviour, however, evidence related to meat reduction behaviour is limited – especially in naturalistic settings. Two social norm interventions were conducted at university food outlets in Aotearoa New Zealand and in the UK, to assess the effect of social norm messages on meat and meatless food purchases. Both interventions consisted of a week-long intervention phase during which descriptive dynamic social norm messages referring to reduced meat intake were displayed in the food outlets (study one and two) and via social media (study two). Meat and meatless food purchases during the interventions were compared to pre- and post-intervention weeks. Surveys were also conducted with a sub-group of customers to assess demographics, dietary habits, and awareness of the social norm message. In both studies, there was no significant effect of the social norm interventions on meat or meatless food purchases, and awareness of the norms message across both studies was low. These findings indicate that social norm interventions alone may be ineffective in encouraging meat reduction. Implications for interventions to reduce meat intake to support pro-environmental food choices are discussed.

Cultural influences on the effects of social norm appeals.

This study reports on an experimental test of the effects of descriptive and injunctive norm appeals on intentions to prevent food waste in China and the United States (N = 1449), testing the role of cultural context and group orientation in this process. Results showed that the main effects of descriptive and injunctive norm messages on behavioural intentions were mediated by normative perceptions, and cultural context moderated both paths of this mediation. Specifically, with the same message exposure, Chinese participants perceived food waste prevention as more prevalent and socially approved compared to US participants. Normative perceptions interacted with cultural context to influence behavioural intentions, such that both descriptive and injunctive norm perceptions predicted stronger intentions to prevent food waste among Chinese participants compared to Americans. Group orientation yielded a main effect on behavioural intentions, instead of the moderation effects as expected. Findings suggest the need for culturally grounded and contextualized approaches to communication of social norms, as well as building cultural concepts into theories of social norms. This article is part of the theme issue 'Social norm change: drivers and consequences'.

The Effectiveness of Social Norm Appeals on Promoting COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors: A Multistudy Examination

ABSTRACT Recent research shows social norm perceptions predict people’s adherence to COVID-19 preventative health practices. Nonetheless, additional empirical studies are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of different types of social norm messages on behavioral outcomes with experimental designs. Guided by the social norm literature and frameworks, the current research addresses this need by examining the effects of descriptive and injunctive norm appeals promoting the practice of social distancing and mask-wearing with both a controlled experiment and social media campaigns. Results from this multistudy investigation showed the effectiveness of descriptive and injunctive norm messages (v. no message exposure) in promoting focal behaviors and highlighted the superiority of injunctive norm appeals in promoting behavioral intentions and increasing social media engagement. Theoretical implications and recommendations for practice are discussed.

A framework of moderators in social norm-based message persuasiveness based on a systematic review

Abstract Social norm-based messages have been widely used for persuasion. However, the current trend that research focuses on using social norm theories rather than theorizing about social norms may hinder theory advancement. Although there are efforts theorizing moderators in norm–behavior relationship, the empirical studies testing the theories have yielded mixed findings, and the unclear focus on social norm-based messages versus perceived norms may impede theorizing the communication process regarding social norm-based persuasion. To bridge this gap, our study takes an inductive approach based on 85 studies to create a framework of moderators in social norm-based message persuasiveness. The framework identifies five factors moderating the effect of descriptive norm messages on behavioral intentions and two factors for injunctive norm messages. This framework lays a foundation for theorizing the mechanism of social norm-based message persuasiveness, highlights empirically supported conditions for message persuasiveness, and offers practical implications for designing targeted social norm-based messages.

Breaking the endometriosis silence: a social norm approach to reducing menstrual stigma and policy resistance among young adults

Objective Endometriosis is a menstrual disorder that affects one in ten women. Diagnosis often takes several years due to low awareness and menstrual stigma. In this study, we employed a social norm approach (SNA) to investigate the effects of an educational leaflet on endometriosis knowledge, menstrual stigma, and acceptance of paid menstrual leave among women and men. Methods The 3 × 2 online experiment tested the influence of either descriptive norm messages or both descriptive and injunctive norm messages (compared to a control group, factor 1) in an educational leaflet by taking the role of addressee’s sex into account (quasi-experimental factor 2). The study included 796 German participants aged 16–35. Results Men exhibited significantly poorer knowledge, stronger menstrual stigma, and weaker policy acceptance compared to women. No significant main effect of the social norm messages on menstrual stigma was found. In contrast, the combined norm messages seem to be beneficial when addressing policy acceptance. Moreover, compared to the control group, the intervention material indirectly influenced stigma and policy acceptance through increased knowledge. Conclusions Providing information about social norms appears to be an effective strategy for educating not only women but especially men about menstrual disorders like endometriosis.

The influence of social norms on expressing sympathy in social media

Increasingly, people are turning to social media to express grief. By and large, however, the social media community can do little more than improvise reactions, not quite sure how to use the old familiar social scripts as guides to lending effective support. To examine the role of social media in the grieving process, we used a mixed-methods approach: 12 interviews with “social media grievers” reveal the expectations of the bereaved regarding other users’ behavior. By way of two online experiments with 1058 participants, we tested how these expectations are met by the messaging of social media providers in accordance with social norm theory. We found that injunctive social norm messages are particularly effective, whereas descriptive social norm messages vary in their effectiveness, depending on which information is presented and how prominently so. What our study shows, then, is that both are potent socio-technical tools that can guide users towards more empathetic behavior when dealing with the bereaved, so while social media may not be a substitute for therapy, they can offer profound comfort for those of us dealing with bereavement and grief.

Green CSR Communication to Internal Audiences: The Persuasive Power of Normative Appeals to Employees’ Green Behaviors

Given the increasing attention being paid to companies’ microlevel green efforts, this study aims to provide insights into green corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication targeting internal audiences (i.e., employees). Building on the social identity theory and group engagement model, this research examines the persuasive power of two types of social norms—descriptive and injunctive—in green CSR messages. Also, it investigates the underlying mechanism of individuals’ green behavioral decision making at work. Across two studies, results demonstrate that a descriptive norm message is more effective than a standard or injunctive norm message to enhance employees’ intentions to adopt green actions, engage in the company’s green programs, and help their colleagues to perform green behaviors. Additionally, a descriptive norm message advances three antecedents of motivation—expectancy, instrumentality, and valence—which in turn positively influence green behavioral decisions. This research contributes to developing the literature stream of green message framing by targeting a specific internal audience group and provides empirical implications for practitioners.

The Effect of Dynamic Norms Messages and Group Identity on Pro-Environmental Behaviors

This study investigates the influence of dynamic norms messages on behavioral intention via perceived future descriptive norms for two different pro-environmental behaviors and tests for the moderating role of group identity in the relationship between dynamic norms and behavior. The findings of an experiment show that perceived future descriptive norms mediate the effect of dynamic norms messages on behavioral intention. In addition, the pattern of dynamic norms message effects is dependent on group identity. When the reference group in a message is viewed as an in-group member and similar to oneself, dynamic norms messages are more influential than conventional low descriptive norms messages; on the other hand, when the reference group is perceived as an out-group and dissimilar to oneself, conventional low descriptive norms messages are more influential than dynamic norms messages. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The effectiveness of social norm information in stimulating financial help-seeking behavior: A field experiment

ABSTRACT Early contact with people who need financial help is key in preventing financial derailment. It can prevent avoidable debt accumulation and accompanying psychological problems. In this field experiment, we investigated whether a descriptive social norm message mentioning an absolute number of customers who had previously reached out for help motivates customers of a Dutch mortgage lender to get in contact when they expect financial problems in the near future. The descriptive social norm letter did not result in more contacts. The results of our research contribute to the literature on social norm communication and debt prevention. Moreover, we present insights into the challenges associated with experimental field research on social influence and provide recommendations for future field work.

Social norms and goal-setting interventions to promote responsible gambling in low-to-moderate online gamblers: protocol for a four-arm randomised controlled feasibility study

IntroductionGambling is increasingly recognised as an important public health issue. Problem gambling is associated with highly negative impacts on physical, psychological and social well-being, not only for those who gamble...

Pursuing a uniform effect: Pathways linking exposure to normatively‐focused scientific consensus messages (NFSCMs) to behavioral intention to adopt science

AbstractThis study tested the effect of normatively‐focused scientific consensus messages (NFSCMs) on receivers' intention to consume GE‐foods. In Study 1, the efficacy of a NFSCM was examined, relative to a standard descriptive norm message (SDNM), a scientific consensus message (SCM), and two control messages, issue‐relevant and issue‐irrelevant messages, using an experiment. In Study 2, the effect of the NFSCM with discrete descriptive norm formats was tested, relative to a standard message used in the real world, using an experiment. Results indicated that the effect of exposure to the NFSCM on intention was mediated via attentional focus on the norm information and perceptions about the norm, which is consistent with those in prior literature. The re‐specified model was not contingent on participants’ education level, gender and political stance indicating a uniform effect. Exposure to the messages also changed receivers’ feeling of disgust and un/certainty about the scientific issue in desirable ways.

A Social Norms and Identity Approach to Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Intake of Undergraduate Students in the United Kingdom.

This study investigated the influence of descriptive norm messages that either communicated that university students eat a sufficient amount of fruit and vegetable (F&V) or that they do not, on F&V consumption, and whether or not any effects are moderated by student identification. An online 2 (Norm: “Sufficient”/“Insufficient”) × 2 (Identification: “Low”/“High”) experimental design was employed. Infographics containing “sufficient”/“insufficient” F&V intake descriptive norms were presented. An identification manipulation was employed to create “high”/“low” student identifiers. F&V intake intentions were assessed after the manipulations; self-reported F&V intake was reported at 2 days post-intervention. Undergraduate students in the United Kingdom (N = 180) reported their intake intentions, of which 112 (62%) completed the behavioral follow-up. Participants were predominantly white female students from Scottish universities, mean age 20.4 (±1.6) years. Baseline mean F&V consumption was high (4.5 ± 2.8). There were no significant main effects of Norm or Identification manipulations on F&V intentions and intake. Significant norm × identification interactions were revealed for fruit intake intentions and vegetable intake at follow-up, indicating half-portion differences (~40 g) between groups. Ironic effects were observed for “high” identifiers, who neither intended to, nor acted in accordance with group norms; “low” student identifiers intended to and followed group norms, whereby the “sufficient”/“low” group intended to consume significantly more fruit portions and consumed more vegetables than the “insufficient”/“low” group. Given the half-portion differences between groups resulting from the norm × identification interactions, future research on a larger sample of young adults with low F&V intake is warranted to further explore the conditions under which moderating effects of identification are observed and the underlying mechanisms.

Do honesty‐nudges really work? A large‐scale field experiment in an insurance context

AbstractBusinesses want their customers to self‐report information honestly. One increasingly popular way to stimulate desired behavior is by using nudge interventions. But can customers be nudged to self‐report information more honestly? This is currently a debate in the literature, where empirical results are inconclusive. Building on related literature on nudges, we add to this debate with a controlled field experiment (N = 5704). We used data from actual customers making real decisions when they file claims online to a large Nordic insurance provider. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effects of honesty‐nudges on self‐reported information when filing insurance claims using a controlled field experiment. We designed and tested three honesty‐nudges on insurance customers: (1) signing‐at‐the‐beginning, (2) a descriptive social norm message, and (3) a solidarity message. Across five outcome measures, we found that the honesty‐nudges, standalone or in any possible combination, do not have significant effects in reducing indicators of insurance claims fraud. But interestingly, customers in all treatment groups used significantly more characters to describe losses than customers in the control group. Also, in post hoc analyses, we found signs that the direction of nudge effects varies across customers' age and customer loyalty.

The use of food swaps to encourage healthier online food choices: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundOnline grocery stores offer opportunities to encourage healthier food choices at the moment that consumers place a product of their choice in their basket. This study assessed the effect of a swap offer, Nutri-Score labeling, and a descriptive norm message on the nutrient profiling (NP) score of food choices in an online food basket. Additionally explored was whether these interventions made it more motivating and easier for consumers to select healthier foods and whether potential effects were moderated by consumer health interest.MethodsHypotheses were tested with a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in a simulated online supermarket. Dutch participants (n = 550) chose their preferred product out of six product options for four different categories (breakfast cereals, crackers, pizza, and muesli bars). Participants were randomly allocated to one of eight groups based on the interventions in a 2 (Nutri-Score: present, not present) X 2 (swap offer: present, not present) X 2 (norm message: present, not present) between subject design. The primary outcome was the difference in combined NP score of product choices, for which a lower score represented a healthier product.ResultsSwap offer (B = − 9.58, 95% CI: [− 12.026; − 7.132], Ƞ2 = 0.098) and Nutri-Score labeling (B = − 3.28, 95% CI: [− 5.724; −.829], Ƞ2 = 0.013) significantly improved the combined NP score compared to the control condition (NP score M = 18.03, SD = 14.02), whereas a norm message did not have a significant effect (B = − 1.378, 95% CI [− 3.825; 1.070], Ƞ2 = 0.002). No evidence was found that interventions made it more motivating or easier for consumers to select healthier food, but situational motivation significantly influenced the healthiness score of food choices for both swap offer (b = − 3.40, p < .001) and Nutri-Score (b = − 3.25, p < .001). Consumer health interest only significantly moderated the influence of Nutri-Score on ease of identifying the healthy food option (b = .23, p = .04).ConclusionsSwap offer and Nutri-Score labeling were effective in enhancing healthy purchase behavior in the online store environment.Trial registrationThis study was retrospectively registered in the ISRCTN database on 02-09-2021 (ISRCTN80519674).

A dynamic social norm messaging intervention to reduce meat consumption: A randomized cross-over trial in retail store restaurants

Perceptions of social norms around eating behavior can influence food choices. Communicating information about how others are changing their eating behavior over time (dynamic descriptive social norms) may motivate individuals to change their own food selection and consumption. Following a four-week baseline period, 22 in-store restaurants of a major retail chain across the UK were randomized to display a dynamic descriptive social norm message intended to motivate a shift from meat-to plant-based meals either during the first two, or last two weeks of the four-week study period. A linear regression model showed there was no evidence of an effect of the intervention (β = -0.022, p = .978, 95% CIs: −1.63, 1.58) on the percentage sales of meat- vs plant-based dishes. Fidelity checks indicated that adherence to the intervention procedure was often low, with inconsistencies in the placement and display of the intervention message. In four stores with high fidelity the estimated impact of the intervention was not materially different. The lack of apparent effectiveness of the intervention may reflect poor efficacy of the intervention or limitations in its implementation in a complex food purchasing environment. The challenges highlighted by this study should be considered in future design and evaluation of field trials in real-world settings.

The effect of descriptive norms and social identification on performance and exertion during a physical fitness task.

Research suggests that people's perceptions of the typical physical activity behaviors of others-descriptive norms-shape their own physical activity. However, prior work has primarily used cross-sectional designs, focused on people's physical activity intentions or self-reported overall physical activity, and failed to attend to how the normative referent affects the norm-behavior relationship. In a pre-registered experiment, we manipulated the descriptive norm to explore its effect on perceived exertion during, and objectively assessed performance on, an exercise (running) task. We also measured the strength of participants' social identification as a member of the norm reference group as a potential moderator. Following a baseline trial, participants (N=78) were either told that their baseline score on the running task was below average (high norm condition) or above average (low norm condition) compared to members of the reference group. Participants in both conditions tended to perform better in Trial 2 than Trial 1. However, participants in the high norm condition improved their performance significantly (2.5 times) more than participants in the low norm condition. Social identification moderated the effect of the norm manipulation on perceived exertion. High identifiers tended to exert themselves less than low identifiers during Trial 2 if they were told they were above average, whereas if told they were below average, high identifiers exerted themselves slightly more than low identifiers. Results provide evidence that descriptive norm messages can improve people's performance on physically demanding tasks, and indicate that descriptive physical activity norms may be more influential when the norm reference group is subjectively meaningful. Opportunities to fruitfully deploy norm messages in applied contexts are discussed.

Increasing vegetables purchase with a descriptive-norm message: A cluster randomized controlled intervention in two university canteens

Exposure to social norms is a popular way to foster healthy food behavior. Testing the robustness of this effect, we report a field study assessing the impact of a vegetable-related descriptive norm message on vegetables purchase. The first contribution was to rely on a cluster randomized crossover design: Two canteens were randomly selected to display either a vegetable-related or a neutral-behavior norm message. After a first period of data collection, the displays were reversed for a second period: The number of vegetable portions on the main plate were recorded before, during and after the message display (N = 12.994). The second contribution was to test the impact of a message describing vegetables as the normative choice beyond the mere selection of vegetables, on the quantity of vegetables purchased in lunches containing some. Results indicated that the vegetable-related norm message led to a sustained probability of choosing vegetables, contrary to a decrease observed in the control condition. Moreover, students who ordered vegetables ordered a higher quantity when exposed to a vegetable-related message than before whereas quantity declined in the control condition. By treating both canteens as experimental and control and by analyzing both the presence and the amount of vegetables, these results extend and strengthen those previously observed, bringing support for the effectiveness of a descriptive norm message in eliciting healthier food behavior.

The Effectiveness of Social Norms in Fighting Fake News on Social Media

ABSTRACT Fake news poses a substantial threat to society, with serious negative consequences. Therefore, we investigate how people can be encouraged to report fake news and support social media platform providers in their actions against misinformation. Based on social psychology, we hypothesize that social norms encourage social media users to report fake news. In two experiments, we present participants a news feed which contains multiple real and fake news stories while at the same time exposing them to injunctive and descriptive social norm messages. Injunctive social norms describe what behavior most people approve or disapprove. Descriptive social norms refer to what other people do in certain situations. The results reveal, among other things, that highlighting the socially desired behavior of reporting fake news using an injunctive social norm leads to higher reporting rates for fake news. In contrast, descriptive social norms do not have such an effect. Additionally, we observe that the combined application of injunctive and descriptive social norms results in the most substantial reporting behavior improvement. Thus, social norms are a promising socio-technical remedy against fake news.

The moderating role of moral norms and personal cost in compliance with pro-environmental social norms

The adoption of sustainable lifestyles plays a key role in mitigating climate change. Previous research has found that social norms—beliefs about what most people do and approve of—profoundly impact individual engagement in pro-environmental behaviour. However, little is known about personal and contextual factors that moderate social norm interventions' effectiveness in motivating pro-environmental engagement. The present work conducted two quasi-experimental studies (N = 1501 and N = 237) on a sample of American adults to address this gap. The studies investigated how individual moral norms and personal costs associated with "acting green" influence the effectiveness of descriptive norm messages that ask individuals to make a pro-environmental pledge. We found that the strength of moral norms did not moderate the effect of social norms on making a pro-environmental pledge. Rather, our findings suggest that the mere activation of one's moral norms—regardless of how strong they are—can eliminate the effect of social descriptive cues on making a pro-environmental pledge. Finally, we found no evidence that social descriptive norm interventions better promote pro-environmental pledges that require relatively little time and effort for participants to formulate (i.e. low-cost pledges) than commitments that require more cognitive time and effort (i.e. high-cost pledges). Although we note that these findings are preliminary, they offer new insights on the interplay between social and moral norms and help set an agenda for future research on potential moderators of social norm interventions.

Do descriptive norms messaging interventions backfire? Protocol for a systematic review of the boomerang effect

BackgroundDescriptive norms messaging interventions are used to motivate people to adopt or maintain desirable behaviors. Such interventions provide people with information that describes an undesirable behavior as uncommon or a desirable behavior as prevalent within a relevant social group. Descriptive norms messaging interventions have shown promise in increasing individual and social benefit for a broad range of health and sustainability programs. However, evidence suggests that people who have adopted desirable behaviors sometimes regress to undesirable behaviors after receiving descriptive norms messages due to the type of information provided in the messages. This phenomenon is called the boomerang effect. We aim to conduct a systematic review of boomerang effects on health and environmental sustainability behaviors resulting from exposure to descriptive norms messaging interventions.MethodsWe will employ our search strategy to identify studies of descriptive norms messaging interventions published prior to December 31, 2020. We will search the Cochrane Library, Campbell Library, PsycINFO, PubMed, Social Science Research Network (SSRN), and Web of Science to retrieve peer-reviewed articles published in English. We will restrict inclusion to studies (e.g., randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and observational studies) of health and environmental sustainability interventions that assess behaviors before and after exposure to descriptive norms messaging. Two reviewers will independently extract data about study populations and design, intervention components, and behavioral measures. We will use the revised Cochrane Risk of Bias assessment tool (RoB2) and Risk Of Bias in Non-randomized Studies—of Intervention (ROBINS-I) to assess the risk of bias, and the Liverpool Quality Assessment Tool (LQAT) to assess the quality of evidence. We will conduct thematic analyses to codify interventions, and examine intervention effects across subgroups of individuals based on their behavior prior to intervention exposure (e.g., those practicing desirable behaviors vs. undesirable behaviors). We will also conduct moderator analyses to determine whether boomerang effects are contingent upon other factors including intervention framing and delivery modality.DiscussionThis systematic review will provide information about descriptive norms messaging intervention effects across subgroups of individuals and elucidate factors that potentially moderate boomerang effects. The review will yield evidence-based recommendations for the structure and content of descriptive norms messages that can be employed to avoid unintended boomerang effects within the context of health and sustainability programming.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020156989