To encourage or discourage? – Investigating the interplay of normative framing, regulatory focus and pro-environmental behaviour
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2024-06-25
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en
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Environmental concern is at an all-time high. Yet, many individuals expressing the desire to reduce their environmental impact, fail to translate these intentions into behaviour. Although reasons for the existence of this pro-environmental behaviour-intention gap have been widely studied, solutions to bridge it remain relatively unexplored. Given that normative influence techniques have been shown to induce behavioural change, this study aimed to investigate the effect of normative framing on individuals’ pro-environmental behaviour, while also examining the moderating role of regulatory focus. In a laboratory experiment, participants completed a survey and were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: prescriptive framing, proscriptive framing, or no framing. Each condition, except for the no framing condition, involved exposure to a normatively framed message suggesting pro-environmental behaviour. The resulting behaviour of the participants was observed and recorded. Both prescriptive framing and proscriptive framing were found to positively influence individuals’ pro-environmental behaviour. As for the degree of effectiveness, no significant difference was found between the influence of prescriptive framing and proscriptive framing. Finally, regulatory focus did not moderate the relationship between normative framing and pro-environmental behaviour. Altogether, the findings of this study highlight the potential of normative framing in encouraging individuals’ pro-environmental behaviour and suggests that future research should investigate additional factors that could influence this relationship.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen