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When does a social norm catch the worm? Disentangling social normative influences on sustainable consumption behaviour
Abstract
Sustainable consumption obtains ever-increasing importance due to pressing social, environmental and economic issues. Extensive research has proposed the use of social norm communication as an effective means to encourage various kinds of pro-environmental behaviour, as well as sustainable consumption. However, although crucial to the development of effective social norm campaigns, tangible evidence for specific processes and conditions through which social norms foster sustainable consumption remains scarce. Thus, we aim to illuminate the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of social normative influences and clarify how to effectively communicate social norms. Study 1 examines personal norms as a mediator of social normative influences on consumers' purchase intention for an unsustainable product, including the interacting role of personal traits (i.e., self-efficacy and self-concept). The results reveal that personal norms fully mediate the effect of perceived social norms on purchase intentions. For participants expressing high generalized self-efficacy, an additional direct effect of perceived social norms on purchase intentions arises. The same pattern appears for a strong collective but not for a strong relational self-concept. Study 2 investigates sender-specific (i.e., social distance) and recipient-specific (i.e., gender and pro-sustainability world view) factors impacting the relative influence of social normative message frames (i.e., injunctive vs. descriptive) on purchase intentions towards a sustainable product. The results reveal an interaction effect for social distance and for gender, but not for pro-sustainability world view. This research proposes implications for researchers, as well as marketers, and emphasizes auspicious aspects as a springboard for future research.
Citation
In: Journal of Consumer Behaviour Volume 20 / Issue 3 (2020-11-08) , S. 635-654 ; eissn:1479-1838Sponsorship
Gefördert im Rahmen des Projekts DEALCitation
@article{doi:10.17170/kobra-202107204381,
author={Pristl, Ann-Catrin Cara and Kilian, Sven and Mann, Andreas},
title={When does a social norm catch the worm? Disentangling social normative influences on sustainable consumption behaviour},
journal={Journal of Consumer Behaviour},
year={2020}
}
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2021-07-26T12:44:20Z 2021-07-26T12:44:20Z 2020-11-08 doi:10.17170/kobra-202107204381 http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/13036 Gefördert im Rahmen des Projekts DEAL eng Namensnennung 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 330 When does a social norm catch the worm? Disentangling social normative influences on sustainable consumption behaviour Aufsatz Sustainable consumption obtains ever-increasing importance due to pressing social, environmental and economic issues. Extensive research has proposed the use of social norm communication as an effective means to encourage various kinds of pro-environmental behaviour, as well as sustainable consumption. However, although crucial to the development of effective social norm campaigns, tangible evidence for specific processes and conditions through which social norms foster sustainable consumption remains scarce. Thus, we aim to illuminate the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of social normative influences and clarify how to effectively communicate social norms. Study 1 examines personal norms as a mediator of social normative influences on consumers' purchase intention for an unsustainable product, including the interacting role of personal traits (i.e., self-efficacy and self-concept). The results reveal that personal norms fully mediate the effect of perceived social norms on purchase intentions. For participants expressing high generalized self-efficacy, an additional direct effect of perceived social norms on purchase intentions arises. The same pattern appears for a strong collective but not for a strong relational self-concept. Study 2 investigates sender-specific (i.e., social distance) and recipient-specific (i.e., gender and pro-sustainability world view) factors impacting the relative influence of social normative message frames (i.e., injunctive vs. descriptive) on purchase intentions towards a sustainable product. The results reveal an interaction effect for social distance and for gender, but not for pro-sustainability world view. This research proposes implications for researchers, as well as marketers, and emphasizes auspicious aspects as a springboard for future research. open access Pristl, Ann-Catrin Cara Kilian, Sven Mann, Andreas doi:10.1002/cb.1890 Verbraucherverhalten Nachhaltigkeit Sozialverhalten Soziale Norm publishedVersion eissn:1479-1838 Issue 3 Journal of Consumer Behaviour 635-654 Volume 20 false
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