Correcting misperceptions about trends and norms to address weak collective action

Fuhrmann-Riebel, Hanna / Ben D’Exelle / Kristian López Vargas / Sebastian Tonke / Arjan Verschoor
Externe Publikationen (2023)

published on ssrn.com, 04.01.2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4311583
Volltext/Full text

We study how correcting people’s beliefs about social norms and behavioral trends encourages collective action in a setting where the desired behavior is not yet prevalent. In a field experiment among 1,709 subjects, we test whether low sign-up rates for a recycling program in urban Peru can be increased by providing information (1) that most people regard participation in the program as important, i.e., on the "injunctive norm", (2) on an increasing recent trend in sign-up rates. Correcting inaccurate beliefs increases sign-up decisions significantly among people who underestimate either the injunctive norm or the positive trend. This evidence demonstrates that belief updating can be used effectively to encourage collective action where it is currently weak.

Über die Autorin

Fuhrmann-Riebel

Weitere Expert*innen zu diesem Thema

Aleksandrova, Mariya

Climate risk governance 

Banerjee, Aparajita

Environmental and Resource Sociology, Public Policy 

Dombrowsky, Ines

Ökonomin 

Hein, Jonas

Geographie 

Hernandez, Ariel

Ökonomie 

Hilbrich, Sören

Ökonomie 

Houdret, Annabelle

Politikwissenschaftlerin 

Lehmann, Ina

Politikwissenschaft 

Rodríguez de Francisco, Jean Carlo

Ökologische Ökonomie 

Schiller, Armin von

Politikwissenschaftler 

Schüpf, Dennis

Ökonomie