Designing and Implementing Effective Social Norms

Communications Lessons from Oil Recycling Programs

Jennifer J. TabanicoCalifornia State University, San Marcos

Traditional Approaches Information Campaigns

Intended to inform or educate people about a behavior, program, or problem

Awareness Campaigns Intended to convey to people the severity of a

problem or issue

The Information Campaign

“If people only knew…”

Ignores motives for behavior

Tend to produce ONLY small, short-term effects

Often used as control group against which better alternatives are tested

What?

Where?

How?

The Awareness Campaign

Highlight the seriousness of the problem by giving incidence rates

“Look at this big problem”

Provides information about what other people are doing

Can produce boomerang effects

90 % don’t do it!!

Social Norms Approach

Awareness campaigns often include information about what others are doing

Social Norms – Expectations about the behavior, thoughts, or feelings that are appropriate within a given context

Descriptive or Injunctive Powerful influence on behavior Not typically viewed as influential

The Boomerang Effect

Normative beliefs can be changed by providing normative information (through radio, brochures, etc.)

Changing normative beliefs causes a change in behavior

Interventions that focus on what others aren’t doing can lead to boomerang effect

Oil Recycling PSAs Radio PSAs designed and aired in Los Angeles Norm of disapproval (injunctive) “50% of oil sold is never collected” (descriptive) Conflicting norms A boomerang effect?

60 DIYers at Kragen Autoparts Materials: PSA messages, short survey Procedure: listen to one of the oil messages

(injunctive, conflicting, control), complete questionnaire

Change in Normative Beliefs

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Control Injunctive Only Conflicting

Please estimate the percentage of motor oil sold that is nevercollected:

A Boomerang Effect!

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Control Injunctive Only Conflicting

Future intentions to dispose of oil improperly--trash, ground, storm drain. (score = percentage who reported any possibility)

Improper intentions: t(50)=.84; p=.41

A Boomerang Effect!

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Control Injunctive Only Conflicting

Future intentions to dispose of oil improperly--trash, ground, storm drain. (score = percentage who reported any possibility)

Improper intentions: p=.09 (comparing injunctive to conflicting)

What We Know… Social norms have a powerful influence on

behavior Awareness campaigns contain normative

information that can lead to a boomerang effect

Social norms can be incorporated into interventions to produce desirable changes in behavior

Social Norms and Oil Recycling Oil recycling in Napa County, CA Curbside oil collection for residents in four

areas of the county served by hauler Underutilized

1026 potential users (based on 19% DIY rate) Only 339 enrolled in the program (steady decline

over past 5 years) Potential oil collection of 8,593 gallons per year,

but only 600 (7%) was collected last year through the program.

Intervention Development Barrier survey showed:

1. Lack of knowledge 2. Belief that others in the community don’t

use it (low normative beliefs) Designed direct mail brochure containing

normative information Other people like you are participating Designed to increase normative beliefs and

knowledge

Descriptive Norm

Injunctive Norm

Testimonials from “people like you”

Results

Results

Conclusions Combination of procedural information

(knowledge) and motivational information (social norms) contributed to effectiveness of message.

Social norms interventions are an effective alternative to information and awareness campaigns.

References California Integrated Waste Management Board. (2003). Used oil recycling rate annual

report: 2003. Sacramento, CA. Available online at: www.ciwmb.ca.gov/UsedOil/RateInfo.

Cialdini, R, B. (2003). Crafting normative messages to protect the environment. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, 105 – 109.

Cialdini, R. B., Reno, R. R., & Kallgren, C. A. (1990). A focus theory of normative conduct: recycling the concept of norms to reduce littering in public places. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 1015 – 1026.

Schultz, P. W. (1999). Changing behavior with normative feedback interventions: A field experiment on curbside recycling. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 21, 25 – 36.

Schultz, P. W. (2002). Knowledge, education, and household recycling: Examining the knowledge-deficit model of behavior change. In T. Dietz & P. Stern (Eds.), Education,information, and voluntary measures in environmental protection (pp. 67-82). NationalAcademy of Sciences.

Schultz, P. W. (2004). Community Based Social Market Pilot to Increase DIYer Oil Recycling Rates. Final report submitted to the California Integrated Management Board.