Poster De Conférence Année : 2022

Testing the effectiveness of theory-based messages to increase personal norms and intention to sort food waste

Résumé

Conference theme: Environment & sustainability
Conference track most relevant to the poster: Planetary health:Environment and sustainability
Aims and objectives: The two present lab studies aimed to design the most effective public policy communication to promote individual food waste separation behavior.
Target group / focus: General population sample having a backyard
Project / research focus: Numerous studies have identified the determinants of recycling behaviors (Geiger et al., 2019) and revealed the importance of personal norms (sense of moral obligation) in sorting behavior (Chan & Bishop, 2013). Personal norms may be reinforced by past behaviors that contribute to the formation of a pro-environmental identity (Van der Werff et al., 2014), social norms (Thøgersen, 2006), biospheric values, and awareness of consequences (Stern et al., 1999). Two experimental studies tested the effectiveness of these factors as a lever for increasing, via reinforcement of personal norms, intention to sort food waste.
Method / approach: In the first study, 1’734 participants imagined receiving a compost bin and read an information note outlining the consequences of sorting and not sorting food waste. The note ended randomly with one of five versions of a message inviting participants to sort. Depending on the version, the message was intended to activate: (1) past behaviors (2) biospheric values, (3) social norms (4) the combination of all three levers. Message (5) in the control condition did not activate any lever. Then participants responded to items measuring awareness of consequences, ascription or responsibility, personal norms and behavioral intention on 7-point Likert scales. This first study showed no significant differences between the different messages. We conducted a second study to test the hypothesis that the systematic presence of the information note in the first study could explain the lack of significant differences. Indeed, the note contains information about the consequences of sorting and not sorting and increasing awareness of the consequences is known to increase personal norms (Stern et al., 1999). Thus, in a protocol identical to Study 1, 901 participants were exposed to a message inviting them to sort, preceded or not by the note explaining the consequences.
[Table 1: Personal Norms and Behavioral mean scores: no significant difference between message conditions.
Table 2: Notice exposition effect on Personal Norms and Behavioral Intention mean scores (Study 2).]
Findings / evaluation: In the first study, analyses revealed no significant differences between the experimental and control conditions in both the level of personal norms and sorting intention, contrary to our predictions. However, in the second study, the results showed that, compared to the mere invitation to sort, exposure to the consequences of sorting and not sorting increased participants’ level of personal norms and intention to sort.
Conclusions and recommandations: Awareness of consequences is a proximal antecedent of personal norms and seems to be an effective lever to increase this sense of moral obligation. Both of the present studies suggest that information based on why one should perform a behavior is a simple and effective lever for encouraging individuals to sort food waste.

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Dates et versions

hal-05373701 , version 1 (19-11-2025)

Identifiants

  • HAL Id : hal-05373701 , version 1

Citer

Émilie Guichard, Cédric A. Bouquet, Frédérique Autin. Testing the effectiveness of theory-based messages to increase personal norms and intention to sort food waste. European Social Marketing Conference 2022, Jun 2022, Thessaloniki, Greece. . ⟨hal-05373701⟩
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