Influencing Environmental Behaviors for the Better

Ever wonder why some people – who seem to know the right thing to do – don’t do the right thing when asked to take action?

Well, it could be that we’re asking them in the wrong way.

For example, it turns out that saving money is not much of an incentive to take action – but losing money is. In a study conducted by UC Santa Cruz, half of a group of homeowners were told how much per day they would save (50 cents per day) if they weatherized. The other half were told what they would lose (50 cents per day) if they did not weatherize. The result: 150% more people weatherized when told what they would lose.

The principle of scarcity – that people want more when there is less to go around, based on the belief that scarce things are more valuable – comes from Dr. Robert Cialdini, a professor at Arizona State University and expert in the fields of persuasion, compliance and negotiation who has written several books on the topics of influence and persuasion. As shown in the Santa Cruz study, focusing on loss is more effective than focusing on gain.

Some of Dr. Cialdini’s other principles that are useful in trying to effect behavior change:

• Principle of Reciprocation: People are more likely to act after someone has taken an action on their behalf. The promise of a future action – for instance, “we will make a donation after you save us money by reusing your towel” – is far less likely to result in desired behavior change.

• Principle of Authority: People are more likely to follow the lead of a perceived expert – a favored environmental professor – than just someone “in charge,” such as the university provost.

• Principle of Commitment and Consistency: People want to be consistent, so once they take a small step in a given direction, such as signing a pledge to conserve energy, they are significantly more likely to take larger and more meaningful steps in that same direction, such as petitioning  others to sign a similar pledge.

• Principle of Like: We are much more likely to say yes to those we like, such as agreeing to recycle because a good friend encourages it, and we tend to like people who appear similar to us in one or more ways.

• Principle of Consensus: We tend to conform to the social norms of those around us. Turns out, if we can say that most people turn off lights when they leave a room, people hearing the message will likely not only turn the lights off but also their computers! However, “most” people must actually be engaging in a behavior for this strategy to work. The converse is also true.

A word of caution: if you say that behavior must change because everyone is practicing an unwanted behavior – such as “no one is turning off the lights” – the message actually legitimizes the unwanted behavior and will usually make the situation worse.

According to Dr. Cialdini, honesty is crucial (no surprise there). But it’s good to share honest information about community members, because people often don’t know or realize what their neighbors are doing.

When many people are exhibiting undesirable behaviors, finding and celebrating those who are doing good can be the best way to increase good behaviors.

In my next post, I’ll share Dr. Jessica Nolan’s thoughts on strategies designed to persuade people by reducing resistance.

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