Short answer
Designers and marketers should move beyond simply stating what others are doing (descriptive norms) or what is approved/disapproved (injunctive norms) and instead focus on how sustainable actions align with an individual's deeply held personal values and self-perception to drive behaviour change.
- Field
- Innovation & Markets
- Source
- Journal of Consumer Behaviour (2020)
- Method
- Experimental research
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Communicating social norms around sustainable consumption is more effective when it aligns with an individual's personal values and beliefs, particularly their sense of self-efficacy. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2020 study published in Journal of Consumer Behaviour. Using Experimental research, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and marketers should move beyond simply stating what others are doing (descriptive norms) or what is approved/disapproved (injunctive norms) and instead focus on how sustainable actions align with an individual's deeply held personal values and self-perception to drive behaviour change.
Personal norms amplify social norm effectiveness in sustainable consumption
Communicating social norms around sustainable consumption is more effective when it aligns with an individual's personal values and beliefs, particularly their sense of self-efficacy.
Journal of Consumer Behaviour · 2020
Key Findings
- 01Personal norms fully mediate the effect of perceived social norms on purchase intentions.
- 02For individuals with high generalized self-efficacy, perceived social norms have an additional direct effect on purchase intentions.
- 03Social distance and gender influence the effectiveness of different social norm message frames, but pro-sustainability worldview does not.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers and marketers should move beyond simply stating what others are doing (descriptive norms) or what is approved/disapproved (injunctive norms) and instead focus on how sustainable actions align with an individual's deeply held personal values and self-perception to drive behaviour change.
How to apply
When designing campaigns for sustainable products or services, consider creating messaging that appeals to individual moral obligations and beliefs, and test different message frames (e.g., 'Most people like you do X' vs. 'Doing X is the right thing to do') based on target audience demographics and social relationships.
Project actions
- 01When researching sustainable products, consider how to measure or infer users' personal norms and self-efficacy.
- 02When testing marketing materials, experiment with different social norm framings and consider demographic segmentation.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Employs a two-study design to explore different facets of social normative influence.
- +Investigates both mediating and moderating factors, providing a nuanced understanding.
Limitations
The artificial nature of experimental settings might not fully capture real-world consumer decisions. Measuring personal norms accurately can be challenging.
Reliability & validity
The use of controlled experimental studies enhances internal validity by isolating variables. However, external validity might be limited by the artificiality of the study settings and specific participant samples.
Think critically
How might the concept of 'personal norms' differ across various cultural contexts, and how would this impact the application of these findings in global sustainable consumption campaigns?
Design Principles
"Personalized social norm communication enhances sustainable behaviour by leveraging individual values and self-perceptions."
Understanding the psychological drivers behind sustainable consumption allows businesses and policymakers to design more impactful campaigns. By tailoring messages to resonate with personal norms and self-perceptions, interventions can achieve greater adoption of sustainable practices and products.
What This Means for Your Design
To get people to buy eco-friendly things, it's not enough to tell them what others are doing. You also need to make them feel like it's the right thing to do personally, and messages work better if they consider who is sending the message and who is receiving it.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when discussing strategies for promoting sustainable consumption, particularly when exploring the role of social influence and personal values in user behaviour.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
Research indicates that the effectiveness of social norm communication in promoting sustainable consumption is significantly enhanced when it aligns with an individual's personal norms and self-perceptions. Specifically, messages that resonate with a person's internal moral compass and their belief in their ability to enact change (self-efficacy) are more persuasive. Furthermore, tailoring the communication strategy based on social distance and recipient demographics can amplify the impact of injunctive versus descriptive norm framing.
Source
Journal of Consumer Behaviour
When does a social norm catch the worm? Disentangling social normative influences on sustainable consumption behaviour
journal · 2020
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about personal norms amplify social norm effectiveness in sustainable consumption?
- Designers and marketers should move beyond simply stating what others are doing (descriptive norms) or what is approved/disapproved (injunctive norms) and instead focus on how sustainable actions align with an individual's deeply held personal values and self-perception to drive behaviour change. Evidence: Journal of Consumer Behaviour (2020).
- Why does "Personal norms amplify social norm effectiveness in sustainable consumption" matter for design?
- Understanding the psychological drivers behind sustainable consumption allows businesses and policymakers to design more impactful campaigns. By tailoring messages to resonate with personal norms and self-perceptions, interventions can achieve greater adoption of sustainable practices and products.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers and marketers should move beyond simply stating what others are doing (descriptive norms) or what is approved/disapproved (injunctive norms) and instead focus on how sustainable actions align with an individual's deeply held personal values and self-perception to drive behaviour change.
- What were the main findings?
- Personal norms fully mediate the effect of perceived social norms on purchase intentions.. For individuals with high generalized self-efficacy, perceived social norms have an additional direct effect on purchase intentions.. Social distance and gender influence the effectiveness of different social norm message frames, but pro-sustainability worldview does not.
- What research method was used?
- Experimental research.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2020 journal from Journal of Consumer Behaviour.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing campaigns for sustainable products or services, consider creating messaging that appeals to individual moral obligations and beliefs, and test different message frames (e.g., 'Most people like you do X' vs. 'Doing X is the right thing to do') based on target audience demographics and social relationships.
- What are the limitations?
- The specific product choices and contexts in the studies may not generalize to all sustainable consumption behaviours. The influence of other personal traits and social factors was not explored.