Encouraging pro-environmental consumption: how do descriptive social norms backfire?

Purpose The role of descriptive social norms in guiding behaviors has inspired the widely used social marketing techniques to encourage pro-environmental consumption practices. However, evidence about the effectiveness of such interventions is unreconciled. This study aims to delve into the complex nature underlying the power of descriptive social norms in encouraging pro-environmental consumption behaviors. The authors expect that while the norms are a powerful determinant of pro-environmental consumption behaviors, they also strengthen people’s beliefs about the redundancy of their behaviors, which hinder the conversion of their environmental concerns into actual actions. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted two separate cross-sectional studies to test the hypotheses, using samples from a large city in a Southeast Asian country. Study 1 focused on general pro-environmental consumption behavior, using a sample of 281 students and lecturers in two universities. Study 2 aims to validate the findings of Study 1 for two specific behaviors, including electricity conservation and unneeded consumption reduction, with a sample of 370 residents from different residential buildings. Findings The analysis results show that environmental concerns significantly predict general pro-environmental consumption behavior in Study 1 but are not a predictor of electricity conservation and unneeded consumption reduction in Study 2. Descriptive social norms significantly influence general pro-environmental consumption behavior (Study 1) and electricity conservation (Study 2) but do not affect unneeded consumption reduction (Study 2). Both studies verify our expectation about the negative interaction effect of descriptive social norms and environmental concerns on pro-environmental consumption behaviors, providing a nuanced picture of the effectiveness of descriptive social norms. Originality/value The findings of this study significantly advance our current knowledge of the mechanism underlying the (in)effectiveness of descriptive social norms-based social marketing approaches and, thus, provide insightful implications for designing more effective behavioral change strategies for a pro-environmental consumption culture.