Using Normative Information to Influence Collective Efficacy and Behavioral Decision-Making About Water Conservation

• In Event: Promoting Environmental Behaviors: The Role of Culture, Imagery, and Norms

Abstract

Social norms approaches have been studied as way to promote health behaviors but less often environmental behaviors. This paper reports in the results of a theory-based experiment designed to promote water conservation through enhancing perceptions of collective efficacy. Study results indicate that both descriptive and injunctive social norms enhance perceptions of collective efficacy but that the effects of norms on collective efficacy are dependent on the extent to which the behavioral referent is similar or dissimilar to the target. Further, self-efficacy is consistently a stronger predictor of behavioral intention to conserve water when individuals were primed to be independent or interdependent; when individuals were not exposed to a prime, however, collective-efficacy was associated with behavioral intention more strongly than self-efficacy.

Authors

• Jie Zhuang, Michigan State U

• Maria Knight Lapinski, Michigan State U

• Rajiv N. Rimal, George Washington U

• Rain Wuyu Liu, Michigan State University

• Doshik Yun, Western Illinois U