Glossary
Social norm messaging
What is social norm messaging?
Social norm messaging tells people what others do or approve of. Descriptive messages concern behavior; injunctive messages concern approval. Both need an accurate claim and a relevant comparison group.
Energy-report evidence
Allcott evaluated home energy reports in 17 randomized field experiments covering about 600,000 households. Electricity use fell by 2.0% on average, with estimates across trials ranging from 1.4% to 3.3%.
The paper estimated that the short-run effect was equivalent to an 11–20% price increase. That was a calculated comparison, not an experiment that randomly imposed those price increases. The findings concern the report programs as evaluated.
When a comparison backfires
In Schultz and colleagues' study, descriptive comparisons reduced energy use among higher-consuming households but could increase it among lower-consuming households. Adding an approval signal prevented that unwanted increase.
Using the idea
Check what happens to people on both sides of the comparison. A message that helps one group may move another in the wrong direction. And do not invent a majority to make a desired behavior sound normal.