Pro-environmental Norms Research Articles

Environmental Activism and Big Data: Building Green Social Capital in China

The rapid development of information and communication technologies, coupled with the significant progress in the areas of environmental policy and public participation, has led to the advent of environmental big data in China recently. This article applies social capital theory as an analytical lens to shed light on how Chinese environmental non-government organizations (ENGOs) adopt big data to promote environmental governance. This study conducts case studies focusing on two ENGOs: The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) and Green Hunan. Combining a qualitative approach with quantitative analysis, this research examines two big data-induced initiatives: The first involves green supply chain management in the IPE, brand-sensitive multinational corporations (MNCs), and Chinese suppliers of the MNCs, while the second involves the mobile data-based Riverwatcher Action Network of Green Hunan and numerous volunteers nationwide. This study found that big data adoption by ENGOs contributes effectively to building green social capital, including social networks and pro-environmental social norms. Green social capital has important implications for governance in terms of fostering coordination and cooperation across the boundaries of the public, private, and voluntary sectors. This study highlighted the finding that empowerment by big data helps Chinese ENGOs play the role of a change agent in sustainability transitions.

More alike than different: Profiles of high-income and low-income rooftop solar adopters in the United States

The U.S. residential rooftop solar market has seen rapid growth in the last decade, much of it concentrated among higher-income households. To address inequities in solar access, a growing number of policies aim to put solar on the roofs of low-to-moderate income (LMI) households. As much of the extant literature on solar adoption is based on the behavior of wealthier and more highly-educated households, questions arise about how to best reach potential LMI adopters. Do the same factors guide their decision-making, or do LMI households have fundamentally different motivations and barriers? To answer these questions, this study surveyed over 500 low-income adopter households in California who received their PV systems for free through a nonprofit. Their responses were compared to those in an existing dataset of high-income PV adopters in the same state. Results suggest that high-income and LMI solar adopters are more alike than not. Both groups are drawn to novel goods and have strong pro-environmental norms, with LMI households scoring slightly higher on these measures. The relative importance of different motivations for and barriers to getting solar were also similar. Taken together the results suggest that even when PV is highly-subsidized, it may be most attractive to people who fit the profile of “early adopters.”

Does Emigration Affect Pro-Environmental Behaviour Back Home? A Long-Term, Local-Level Perspective

This study provides novel evidence on the effects of emigration on pro-environmental behaviour back home. Focusing on the seven successor states of former Yugoslavia, I explore the relationship between people's present-day pro-environmental action and the local-level intensity of a major guestworker emigration wave that occurred four decades earlier. I find that more intense local-level emigration is associated with a lower likelihood of pro-environmental action; the instrumental variable analysis supports the causal nature of this relationship. This finding supports the conjecture that emigration contributes to greater consumerism at home and therefore reduces pro-environmental behaviour. At the same time, controlling for the intensity of local-level emigration, a higher proportion of women in the local migrant population is associated with a greater likelihood of pro-environmental action. As women are generally more likely to undertake pro-environmental behaviour as well as transfer new norms and practices across borders, this finding supports the hypothesis that migration contributes to a cross-border transmission of pro-environmental norms and practices.

호텔 그린마케팅에 대한 소비자 행동요인에 관한 연구 : 밀레니얼 세대를 중심으로

This study aims to understand the process of behavior of pro-environmental consumption of millennial generation which is growing as mainstream customer of hotel industry. The main subject of this study was the millennial generation who experienced hotel green marketing and the total number of sample was 345. The theoretical background of the study is based on the VBN theory. The results of this study are as follows. Consumers pro-environmental behaviors are caused by individual values, belief, and norms, and this confirms that the hotel is an important factor in green marketing. Especially pro-environmental norms emerged as the most powerful predictors of the pro-environmental behaviors intention. It means that in order for hotel green marketing to be successful, the ongoing transformation of value formation and awareness that can change individual norms must be emphasized. The discussions covered both theoretical and practical implications of this research as well as recommendations for further studies.

Transmission of pro-environmental norms in large organizations

Transmission of pro-environmental norms in large organizations

Accelerating demand for residential solar photovoltaics: Can simple framing strategies increase consumer interest?

Abstract Household adoption of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from electricity generation. High upfront costs, however, are often a barrier to adoption, even when costs may be offset by future energy savings. Through a series of randomized experiments, we examine whether framing strategies grounded in behavioral economics and psychology can be used to increase the financial appeal of such products. Using mock ads for residential solar photovoltaics (PV), we test four frames: gain/loss framing, temporal framing, varied savings amounts, and simple vs. detailed savings calculations. Overall, we find that reframing the financial benefits of PV does not greatly influence the appeal of solar or the likelihood to respond to the mock ads. Instead, underlying consumer motivations and predispositions (i.e., perceived social support, consumer innovativeness, and personal pro-environmental norms) are the primary factors driving interest in adopting solar. Our findings suggest that tailoring messages to targeted consumer segments may be more effective than attempts to market the financial benefits of PV to broad audiences. The results also contribute to behavioral economics and psychology research by identifying contexts under which the gain/loss framing bias and the present/future framing bias may not apply.

How anonymity and norms influence costly support for environmental causes

Social norms are a key driver of pro-environmental action, but their influence may vary by context. An important contextual factor is behavior observability. We employ a laboratory quasi-experiment studying donations to environmental organizations under different levels of donor anonymity and under different levels of injunctive social norms. Decision observability amplifies the effect of norms: donations are 84% higher when observability is added to pro-environmental norms, compared to a setting with pro-environmental norms but anonymous decisions.

National park visitors' car-use intention: A norm-neutralization model

Reducing private car use is an efficient way to promote the sustainable development of national parks. However, many visitors persist in using their cars, even when they are aware of the environmental damage it causes. This study proposed a norm-neutralization model to investigate why national park visitors persist in car-based trips by partially integrating the theory of planned behavior, the norm-activation model, and neutralization theory. The results indicated that neutralization techniques can effectively reduce the effects of social norms and attitudes on car-based trip intention in a conflicting-norm context. The strongest predictors of behavior intention were attitudes toward the behavior while neutralization techniques were the second strongest. The effect of pro-driving norms showed a significant reduction when neutralization techniques were added, but pro-environmental norms did not have a significant effect on behavior intention. Practical and theoretical implications, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.

Evaluating user-generated content in social media: an effective approach to encourage greater pro-environmental behavior in tourism?

ABSTRACTAppealing to tourists’ intrinsic interest for high-quality tourism environments, and thus encouraging them to act with a greater sense of personal responsibility toward the environment, could be critical to promoting sustainable tourism. Proliferating media channels makes the choice, style and delivery of pro-environmental messages a key issue for tourism marketers and management. Social media has become a recognized important channel for tourism information, with user-generated content (UGC) being more trusted than official channels, yet there is little knowledge about its potential role in activating pro-environmental norms. This study investigates that issue. Focusing on the conjoining aspects of personal and social norms for the first time, we propose a hypothetical model to explain the direct and indirect effects of pro-environmental UGC in activating tourists’ pro-environmental behavioral intentions. Working in a Chinese context, where social media plays an increasing role, the research, using a web-based sample (N = 1043), UGC-linked pro-environmental knowledge and awareness, was found to have a strong role in activating pro-environmental norms, creating a pro-environment online community, and increasing tourists’ level of engagement in pro-environmental social media activity. The study highlights the effectiveness of social media channels with UGC providing persuasive communications able to impact sustainable behaviors.

South African small and medium-sized enterprise owners’ intention to implement an environmental management system

<strong>Background:</strong> Environmental problems present the most complex and important managerial challenges of the 21st century. Most businesses have responded to these environmental problems by adopting an environmental management system.<p><strong>Aim:</strong> This article investigates South African small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners’ intentions to implement an environmental management system based on the theory of planned behaviour.</p><p><strong>Setting:</strong> Although large businesses are clearly of interest with respect to their environmental management, especially given their prominence in many of the most environmentally impactful sectors, the relative neglect of the environmental management of SMEs is disconcerting, given their overall importance in most economies. In addition, very little research used the theory of planned behaviour to empirically test SME owners’ intentions, to implement an environmental management system.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> A quantitative survey was used to collect primary data from 326 SME owners by a structured questionnaire.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Regression analysis results confirmed the influence of SME owners’ attitudes towards an environmental management system and pro-environmental norms on their intention to implement an environmental management system. Perceived behavioural control, however, did not significantly influence the SME owners’ intention to implement an environmental management system.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> These findings provide valuable insights into the implementation of environmental management systems among South African SMEs. The theory of planned behaviour also seems to be an appropriate means to investigate the intentions of SMEs to implement an environmental management system.</p>

Breaking Bad: Existential Threat Decreases Pro-Environmental Behavior

ABSTRACTWhy is it that people do not change their behavior in the face of global threats? We hypothesized that when people who have been encouraged to engage in pro-environmental behavior are threatened, they fall back into their (bad) habits instead of exhibiting behavioral change; existential threats may thereby counteract pro-environmental norms. We tested this hypothesis in two field studies in which participants were encouraged to reduce paper use. Although the requests initially resulted in decreased paper use, this pro-environmental behavior ceased when an existential threat was induced. We discuss theoretical and practical implications for social psychology theorizing and behavioral change.

Collective self-fulfilling prophecies: group identification biases perceptions of environmental group norms among high identifiers

Previous research has shown that ingroup norms influence intentions to engage in pro-environmental behavior, most notably for individuals highly identified with a group. However, intriguingly, identification may itself lead people to exaggerate descriptive pro-environmental ingroup norms to enhance positive distinctiveness of their ingroup. We investigated this possibility in two studies together with the assumption that perceived norms would mediate the effects of identification on intentions to engage in pro-environmental behavior. The results support our assumptions and show that high identifiers perceived their ingroup be more eco-friendly, which in turn increased respondents’ intentions to behave in a pro-environmental manner. We discuss the implications of this collective self-fulfilling prophecy for social identity theorizing and the prediction of pro-environmental behavior.

Measuring the Impacts of a Save Food Campaign to Reduce Food Waste on Campus in Thailand

This study measured the impact of an awareness campaign to reduce food waste on campus. Information cues were installed at strategic locations in a canteen to engage university students in food waste prevention. Stickers with food ordering tips were placed in front of the food vendors. Information cards about resource use in food production were placed on dining tables to remind students to finish what they had ordered. Other materials of the save food campaign such as pos-ters and banners carried messages and images to elicit a pro-environmental norm. Students were also encouraged to share their support through social media in order to increase the visibility of the actions. The analysis showed that carefully designed information was effective in changing be-haviors. Based on the visual analysis of returned food containers, the share of those who finished all their food nearly doubled after the campaign. The types of food waste on the information cardswere also significantly reduced. However, the results showed that voluntary behavior changes are limited to actions requiring little additional effort. Other types of interventions such as rule-based measures, economic incentives and changes in physical settings and how food is served should be considered to further food waste prevention. In addition, reuse and recycling options are needed for fluid and other unavoidable food waste.

Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: Changing Norms by Changing Behavior: The Princeton Drink Local Program

Unprecedented levels of global bottled water consumption present a major challenge for the environment and water conservation initiatives. Educational institutions are in a unique position to promote conservation behavior by signaling pro-environmental norms. To decrease disposable bottled water consumption on campus, Princeton University instituted an innovative “Drink Local” program in 2009. The program provides reusable water bottles to all incoming students and we analyze the program's impact here by drawing on behavioral and social influence research. In particular, we hypothesized that by signaling that the desired “prototypical” behavior of Princeton students should be “sustainable,” students would be less likely to consume bottled water on one hand, and more likely to offer normative support for a campus bottled water ban on the other. Results from a quasi-experiment involving over 1,300 students confirm our hypotheses; students who received the reusable Drink Local bottles upon arrival to Princet...

Are American households willing to pay a premium for greening consumption of Information and Communication Technologies?

The United States lags other nations in adapting policy approaches that would stimulate cleaner consumption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by limiting the use of potentially toxic materials in electronics production. This study analyzes nationally-representative U.S. data from a unique web-based survey to investigate whether American households are willing to support greening the ICT devices by paying a premium for a green cell phone. Green cell phone does not contain hazardous materials and can be safely disposed with general municipal waste. A survey-based economic technique of contingent valuation was utilized to examine the relationship between socio-psychological and economic parameters for evaluating and explaining a stated willingness to pay a green phone premium, controlling for socio-economic and demographic characteristics. The findings indicate that respondents with higher scores on general environmental beliefs, greater engagement in pro-environmental behavior, and positive attitudes toward recycling small electronics are likely to be willing to pay a premium to purchase a green cell phone compared to a conventional cell phone with similar capabilities. This suggests that educating the public about benefits of electronics recycling, promoting pro-environmental norms, and encouraging pro-environmental behavior can help increase public support for implementing policies aimed at greening ICT production and consumption in the United Sates.

친환경 아웃도어 웨어 제품 구매의도 결정요인 : 가치-신념-규범 이론을 중심으로

This study aims to investigate determinants that included personal values, pro-environmental beliefs, and proenvironmental norms for enhancing consumers' purchase intention of eco-friendly outdoor wear exploring Stern(2000)’s the value-belief-norm theory. A survey was conducted with females and males between the ages of 20 and 60 who have experienced buying outdoor wear products. A total of 300 responses were analyzed by descriptive analysis, factor analysis, a reliability test, an independent samples t-test, and regression analysis. The results of this study were as follows: 1) The results of exploratory factor analysis and reliability test on the personal value clearly showed factorial structures including the social power, ecologic value, openness, equality, and altruistic value. 2) There are significant differences in personal value sub-dimensions, pro-environmental beliefs, pro-environmental norm, and purchase intention of eco-friendly outdoor wear products according to respondents' gender and age. 3) Personal values, but not social power, affect pro-environmental beliefs; in turn, pro-environmental beliefs affect pro-environmental norms, which then affects purchase intentions of eco-friendly outdoor wear. The findings support the conclusion that there is significant causality among personal value such as ecologic, openness, equality, and altruistic, pro-environmental belief, and pro-environmental norm. This study suggests pragmatic implications to understand outdoor wear consumers' socio-psychological and demographic factors and to augment purchase intentions of eco-friendly outdoor wear products.

Effect of Value Orientation, Belief and Norm on Private Sacrificing Behaviour

The objective of this paper is to examine the effect of value orientation, new ecological paradigm and proenvironmental personal norm on private sacrificing behavior. Structural equation modelling using partial least squares approach is used to analyse conceptual model on private sacrificing behaviour. Findings from this study show that biospheric value and altruistic value have direct influence on general belief in terms of New Ecological Paradigm. In addition, New Ecological Paradigm is found to have direct linkage with pro-environmental personal norm. General belief of the state of the environment is considered sufficient to activate personal norm of individual. Subsequently, pro-environmental personal norm is affirmed to influence private sacrificing behaviour directly in the context of agrochemical purchase. Managerial implications are discussed on the potential application of the results of this research.

Determinants of WEEE Recycling Behaviour in Romania: A fuzzy Approach

High levels of WEEE and limited capacities for disposal and recycling, together with thenecessity to transpose the European legislation into national law have shaped the profile of WEEE system inRomania. In order to improve the functionality of this system it is important to understand the citizens’behaviour towards WEEE recycling. Recent research conducted in different countries suggest that variousdeterminants, such as socio-economic and demographic factors, environmental knowledge, habits, convenience, motivations, can be used to analyse WEEE recycling behaviour. The results are contradictory and demonstrate that the peculiarities of each country have different influences on how people engage in WEEE collection and recycling. In the present paper, using hypotheses testing we have developed a WEEE recycling behaviour model for Romanians. It was assumed that socio-demographic factors and personal norms would predict WEEE recycling attitude and attitude, contextual forces, knowledge and recycling habits would influence WEEE recycling behaviour. The data, gathered using a survey, were processed using a fuzzy approach. The results showed that in the Romanian context the strongest determinants of WEEE recycling behaviour are people attitudes and habits. Moderate effects have recycling knowledge, pro-environmental norms and institutional support, while gender, income, perception of availability of collection points and regulations haven’t any influence.

Personal circumstances and social characteristics as determinants of landholder participation in biodiversity conservation programs

Adequate conservation of biodiversity on private land remains elusive due, in part, to a failure to understand the personal circumstances and social characteristics of private landholders. Our aim was to identify those personal and social dimensions of landholders that might contribute to improved conservation policy and program design and, thereby, participation in private land conservation. We tested whether personal circumstances of landholders (e.g., lifestyle and wellbeing, information and knowledge, financial security) and social characteristics (e.g., attitudes, norms, and trust) would be important predictors of landholders' capacity and willingness to participate in biodiversity conservation programs. Forty-five participants and twenty-nine non-participants of biodiversity conservation programs in north Queensland, Australia, were surveyed to: 1) examine differences between their personal circumstances and social characteristics that may influence participation; and 2) explore whether personal circumstances and social characteristics were influenced by participation. The results revealed that, compared to participants, non-participants in conservation programs had significantly different personal circumstances and social characteristics for four of eight measured variables. Compared to participants, non-participants demonstrated a reduced capacity and willingness to participate in conservation programs. Participation did not appear to have a strong influence on participants' personal circumstances or social characteristics, and when social norms supported conservation, programs did not demonstrate additionality. Conservation policies that maintain or improve landholders' personal circumstances and that promote pro-environmental norms may result in increased participation and thereby conservation outcomes.

Pourquoi être pro-environnemental ? Une approche socionormative des liens entre valeurs et « pro-environnementalisme »

It has often been suggested that environmental attitudes and behaviour are linked to people's values. In the present study, adherence to a pro-environmental norm is expected to be associated with self-transcendence values, whereas clear-sightedness regarding this norm is expected to be associated with self-enhancement values. Amongst a sample of 191 participants, values are measured with Schwartz's Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ) and normative adherence and clear-sightedness are measured within the self-presentation paradigm, using a pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour questionnaire. Overall, results corroborate the hypotheses. It is argued that the distinction between normative adherence and clear-sightedness enables alternative interpretations of research exploring the relationship between values and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour.