Correcting Misperceptions About Trends and Norms to Address Weak Collective Action
45 Pages Posted: 4 Jan 2023 Last revised: 30 Jan 2023
Date Written: December 24, 2022
Abstract
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.
Keywords: Belief updating, social norms, recycling, collective action
JEL Classification: Q53, D90, D91, C93, D83
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation