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Changing attitudes and behaviour
Joanne R. Smith
Anna Rabinovich
2
What are norms?
• Norm = the accepted or implied rules of how
individuals and group members should and do
think and behave
• Two types of norms:• What other people do (descriptive norm)
• What other people approve of (injunctive norm)
3
Descriptive norms and change
• Descriptive norms form the basis of manybehaviour change campaigns
4
Descriptive norms and change
• But normative messages may create a psychological
backlash that undermines campaign efforts• Descriptive norm messages can actually increase levels of
problem behaviour
“Many people
are doing this
bad thing”
“Many people
are doing this”
“I won’t be doing
the right thing”
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1 2
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
en
vir
on
me
nta
l th
eft
“Many past visitors have
taken the petrified wood”
“Many past visitors have
left the petrified wood”
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Injunctive norms and change
• Can we use injunctive norms to effect behaviour
change?
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Injunctive norms and change
• But injunctive norms may also produce a psychological
backlash that undermines campaign efforts• Injunctive norm messages can actually decrease levels of
desired behaviour
“You should be
doing X”
“We’re not
doing X”“I won’t be
doing X”
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5
6
1 2
Pro
-en
vir
on
me
nta
l in
ten
tio
ns
“85% think you
should do X”“85% are doing X”
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Norms and change
• So, what is the message for behaviour change agents?
• 1. Framing of normative messages must be correct
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Norms and change
• So, what is the message for behaviour change agents?
• 2. Harness the power of both descriptive and injunctive
norms
4.5
5.5
6.5
IN absent IN present
Su
n p
rote
cti
on
be
ha
vio
ur
DN absent DN present
DN = Most do X
IN = Most approve
of X
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Summary and Implications
• Communicating that a behaviour is normative for
a group of people can produce desired behaviour
change
• “We engage in the behaviour and we approve of the
behaviour”
• By linking norms to different identities, we can
harness the power of both norms and social
identities to promote positive behaviour
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Self-categorization theory
• People adopt the same norms and values that areascribed to the groups they belong to
• Group norms and values are defined on the basisof comparison with other groups
• What we conclude about ourselves depends oninter-group comparative context
I am like
others in
my group
We are not
like them
I am not like them
They are “green” We are NOT “green”
I am not “green”,
I won’t behave
sustainably
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Hypotheses
• Positive comparison leads to increase in env.
behaviour
• Negative inter-group comparison leads to
decrease in env. behaviour
Comparison with
un-environmental
group
“Green” in-group
stereotype
Pro-
environmental
behaviour
Comparison with
pro-environmental
group
“Non-green” in-
group
stereotype
Un-
environmental
behaviour
13• In-group environmental stereotype is stronger in the positive
comparison context
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
3.9
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4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
American control Swedish
in-g
rou
p e
nv
iro
nm
en
tal
ste
reo
typ
e
Comparative context: group stereotype
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Comparative context: intentions
2.5
2.6
2.7
2.8
2.9
3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
American control Swedish
en
vir
on
me
nta
l in
ten
tio
ns
• Environmental intentions are stronger in the positive
comparison context
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Applied implications
• Inter-group comparison standard can be used
to stimulate desirable behaviour
• Negative comparison may undermine
desirable intentions
• Desirable changes can be stimulated by
providing a positive comparison standard
• Behaviour change does not have to start at an
individual level…
