The source is the message: the impact of institutional signals on climate change-related norm perceptions and behaviors
The source is the message: the impact of institutional signals on climate change-related norm perceptions and behaviors
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DOI：
10.1007/s10584-021-03095-z
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发表时间：
2021-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
4.8
通讯作者：
Weber, Elke U.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Constantino, Sara M.;Pianta, Silvia;Weber, Elke U.
随着减缓气候变化的命令和税收在政治上难以实施，一些学者和政策制定者开始将社会规范视为大规模行为改变的工具。这就提出了一个问题，即正式机构或组织是否能够影响社会规范和行为。我们设计了一个随机实验，以3627名美国居民为样本，研究社会规范感知和行为如何响应气候变化的制度信号，以及这种变化如何随信号源而变化。我们发现，制度信号，特别是来自科学或商业行为者的信号，改变了人们对气候行动描述性社会规范的看法。制度信号也影响有意的亲环境行为，但并没有增加个人对环境事业的贡献，这表明，感知规范的转变可能不足以推动个人行动，特别是当它涉及个人成本时。我们的研究不仅强调了制度信号和信使在改变社会规范观念中的重要性，而且还强调了最终旨在影响行为的规范干预所涉及的复杂性。
With mandates and taxes to mitigate climate change proving politically challenging to implement, some scholars and policy makers have started looking to social norms as a vehicle for large-scale behavioral change. This raises the question of whether formal institutions or organizations are able to influence social norms and behavior. We designed a randomized experiment with a sample of 3627 American residents to investigate how social norm perceptions and behaviors change in response to institutional signals about climate change, and how this varies with signal source. We found that institutional signals, in particular when originating from science or business actors, shifted perceptions of descriptive social norms about climate action. Institutional signals also influenced intended pro-environmental behaviors, but did not increase personal contributions to environmental causes, suggesting that a shift in perceived norms may be insufficient to drive personal action, especially when it involves personal costs. Our study not only emphasizes the importance of institutional signals and messengers in changing perceptions of social norms, but also highlights the complexities involved in norm interventions ultimately aimed at influencing behavior.