Influences of social norms on climate change-related behaviors

Abstract

Social norm represents one of the most interdisciplinary and important concepts in the behavioral sciences. We reviewed recent research examining the effects of social norms on climate change-related behaviors, identifying relevant evidence in five behavioral domains: eco-friendly consumer choices, energy conservation, reduction/re-use/recycling, sustainable food choices, and water conservation. We discuss this research as it pertains to a set of theoretically important questions that emerged as themes across these studies and discuss various future research directions as they relate to each theme. Overall, the recent evidence is quite robust in demonstrating influential effects of social norms on an array of behaviors relevant to climate change.